Here We Go Again
by thesoundofsunshine
Summary: Caitlyn was so excited for her summer at Camp Rock. It would mean she could jump off that rollercoaster Nate was keeping her trapped on. She was expecting music producing, best friends, laughter, maybe kitchen help. She wasn't expecting him to show up.
1. Cabin by the Lake

**Alright, so I'm trying another Camp Rock fic. Except, this time it's not about Shane and Mitchie AND there's no song incorporated, but the idea is from listening to Here We Go Again by Demi Lovato too many times. (I swear, I'm not obsessed with her. I just think she has some good songs.) Enjoy!  
PS. Yes I am aware that it is kind of late for me to be up comtemplating and then writing stories considering I have to get up at seven in the morning, but this idea was just too good to pass up.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Never have and never will.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

You know, being back at Camp Rock was kind of a relief. It meant I didn't have to deal with the kids from school all summer; not that I didn't have my share of friends, it's just most people think I'm weird. Camp Rock is my second home; I've been attending this camp for at least five summers, talk about dedication. Plus, most of the 'popular' girls at school are jealous because I am friends with Nate from Connect Three. And, yes we have been on and off the entire year.

"Hey Cait," Mitchie said, before giving me a hug, which I gladly returned. I was so glad that we got closer, and cleared up all of the lies. I know she was only trying to fit in. Didn't everyone do that their first year? First year everyone tries to: fit in, and become friends with Tess Tyler. It was a simple given for new campers.

"Mitchie, do I have stories for you," I gushed as we both grabbed our bags and headed off to where the cabins were. Mitchie and I requested to be in a cabin together, and since Brown loved my continuous to camp, we picked a cabin by the lake.

"Really? Me too," Mitchie said with a huge smile. As we walked by the lake, someone was running up behind us. I looked behind me to see Peggy running towards us, waving her arms, a huge smile on her face.

"Oh my god! Did you guys hear yet? Connect Three are going to be counselors this year," Peggy said, this overly ecstatic smile on her face. Nate was like our age, why was he a stupid counselor. I prayed that I didn't have to see him. I couldn't handle it; my head and heart couldn't. Peggy drew in a breath before continuing, "Well, I have to go find Tess and Ella. I can't believe it."

With that said Peggy was off trying to find her two best friends. Before anyone asks, Tess did apologize for bossing her friends around. There were also rumors of some money being involved. As well as, Ella and Peggy were just in it to have connections in the celebrity world. Whatever. All I was sure of: Mitchie and I were became best friends over the school year, I would have to deal with Nate all summer, and Peggy / Ella / Tess were best friends again.

"Here's our cabin," Mitchie said, opening the door to one of the smaller cabins by the lake. We had gotten what we wished for. Usually the cabins could hold four or five kids, but this one only has three beds, but Mitchie and I only made two. Who was the third person going to be?

"I'll take this bed," I said, throwing my stuff onto the middle bed. Mitchie then claimed the bed to my left. Why Mitchie wouldn't choose the bed overlooking the lake was beyond me.

We both scampered around the small cabin putting out clothes where they belonged, and our bedding in place, and our makeup in the bathroom. Pretty much our cabin was a mess, and both of our heads were in a daze. Playing softly in the background was Peggy's new hit: Crush. It was so different from her old stuff. I think that's why everyone loved it so much. Plus, it made for some great background music. Everything came to a screeching halt when the door was flung open.

"Hey guys!" This overly peppy black haired girl said. She almost bounced into the room, with a huge smile on her face, and two guys following her with at least four bags each. I flashed a fake smile at the new girl, and shot a panicked look at Mitchie.

"Hi," Mitchie said. She was getting herself into something big, I could sense it. Mitchie went to shake hands with the girl, but instead she got a hug, "I'm Mitchie."

"I'm Olivia," She – Olivia – squealed. I disliked her. In an instant, I wanted her gone, another cabin, anywhere but here. Unless this was all an act, like Mitchie had. Olivia's smile got even bigger as she let go of Mitchie, and went to hug me. I backed away. This didn't seem to faze her, "It's my first year."

"Oh. That's so cool. It was my first year, last year," Mitchie said smiling, but I knew it was fake. Speaking of her coming back this year, I think her mom was still the chef. Which meant Mitchie and I would be on kitchen duty, not that I was complaining. Her and I got real close because of that.

"Really? I'm so excited," Olivia, yet again, squealed. I threw my head back in aggravation. If she didn't start acting normal I was going to demand her to get a new cabin. I noticed the two men putting all of her stuff away. She didn't have to lift a finger. She was going to be in for a surprise later. I couldn't wait for her to meet Brown and everyone else who would, gasp, expect her to do something.

"You should be. It's really fun here," Mitchie said, smiling. I'm guessing she was just trying to be helpful, and maybe helping Olivia get to know camp wouldn't be so horrible. I mean, we were all new at one point in time; there were always those returning campers willing to lend a helping hand.

"Really?" Olivia asked, before lowering her voice, "I only came because I heard Connect Three is going to be here."

"Oh. That's cool," Mitchie said, her smile wavering. I couldn't help, but chuckle at that. I suppose that's when Olivia noticed my presence.

"Who are you?" Olivia asked, sounding very confused. She was pointing right towards me.

"Caitlyn Gellar. Camper today. Top selling music producer tomorrow. Check me out," I said, smiling. It was what I said to all the new campers I met. Well, only Mitchie and Olivia, but who was counting?

"That's awesome, but Brown told me to meet with him when I got settled," Olivia said glancing over the room. All of her stuff was neatly put away, and those two men were gone, "Looks like I'm settled. Bye!"

"I don't like her," I confided in Mitchie as the door swung shut behind Olivia. Mitchie didn't say a word, but we would have plenty of time to talk about her. Right now, I needed to tell her about Nate and the rollercoaster he's keeping me on.

"How are you and Nate doing? I know it's been a week since we've talked about him, but you guys have been all over the place lately," Mitchie said, sitting on her bed. I secretly wondered if she was a mind reader. That thought made me smile.

"Uhm…we broke up," I solemnly said, wiping the smile from my face.

"Again?" Mitchie asked. I rolled my eyes before nodding. "Well continue."

"This time I thought it was for real, you know? I told myself I was over him; I threw away our pictures and everything he gave me. I was finally ready to move on, and Camp Rock was the place to do it. I wouldn't have to see him or talk to him all summer. I needed that, but he's here. Perfect, right?" I said, adding the sarcastic remark to the end. Mitchie leaned across the small gap between our beds and gave me a hug. This summer was supposed to be perfect, and spent without Nathaniel.

"It'll be okay," Mitchie reassuringly said. I just hoped she was right. I just really hoped she was right.

**I apologize for the shortness. It's just an introduction to the entire story. And, sorry about adding Olivia to the mix, I just didn't know who else I could throw into the small cabin; plus, I have some crucial parts for her. And, I am sorry about any typos there might be; you must excuse me, I'm beat.**

**I will love anyone who will review / put this on alert / favorite this.**


	2. It'll Be Okay

**Whoo! Second chapter. And some people need rewards:  
****First person to review: jessie12h  
****First person to favorite: MrsJoeJonas2009  
****First person to alert: ohhhshxtitsanna  
****They did awesome! Claps for them! Well, I guess the second people should get a little bit of credit too. Second person to review: (dot)Pancakes(dot)On(dot)A(dot)Rainy(dot)Day(dot). Second person to favorite: Mikaela-Nicole. Second person to alert: jessie12h. Woot woot! I love all of the other reviews and alerts and favorites as well. I'll just stop babbling here, so this A/N isn't as long as the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"Alright Campers, I'm Dee," Dee said, running across the stage. She had been doing this bit since Brown had hired her. It was like a tradition, I suppose.

"Hi Dee," All of the campers called out together. I rolled my eyes knowing what was coming up next.

"No, no. This is Camp Rock where we," Dee said, before pausing. She was preparing to hit her crystal clear high note, "Siiiiing."

"Hi Dee," We all sang, although I know for a fact that I was pitchy. I wasn't a singer.

"Good. A little pitchy in places, but we'll fix that before the Final Jam," Dee practically recited. Someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned around. It was Ella.

"So, how are you and Nate doing?" Ella asked. I mentally slapped myself, but on the outside I smiled.

"We're through," I said, before turning my attention back to Dee. I could hear Ella whispering the news to Peggy and Tess. I remember telling so many people that we were over, and it was never actually the truth. Well, we were over, but it never lasted long.

"Now, as a special Camp Rock surprise we have Connect Three performing Lovebug," Dee said, as I softly groaned. I didn't want to see his face, his perfect curls. I couldn't bear to hear his guitar and soft voice. I stood up as Connect Three was walking on stage. Everyone else was screaming as I escaped.

"Where are you going?" Mitchie asked, grasping my wrist, following me out. Dee shot us a questioning look as the beginning acoustic guitar started.

"Bathroom," I loudly said so Dee could hear before I ran all the way to the cafeteria where the nearest bathroom was. Mitchie was following me; I could hear her footsteps as I ran.

"Why did you leave?" Mitchie asked the obvious. I rolled my eyes sitting at one of the tables. She sat across from me. I folded my arms on the table, and buried my head in them.

"Remember how I said I was over him?" I asked Mitchie, though I was physically asking the table.

"Yea," Mitchie said, obviously being able to hear me. She had then put her hand on my arm, comforting me.

"Well it's a lie!" I nearly screamed, not lifting my head. I could feel the bottled up emotions threatening to spew over. I could feel myself reaching the explosion point. I was never open about my emotions, but once in a while, everything built up and I lost it. I was getting to that point now.

"Caite, it's okay," Mitchie said. I could feel her sitting next to me. Then she looped her arms around me, and gave me a hug. I didn't dare lift my head. I didn't dare think about him anymore than I had to.

"Oh my god! Did you see Nate's face when he was singing?" Some girl asked, obviously overly ecstatic about Nate. I secretly wondered if it was Olivia.

"He looked so torn up," Another voice said, as the two voices went away.

"Come on Cait. We'll just go back to the cabin," Mitchie said, trying to get me to stand up.

"No, the kitchen is closer," I said, walking into the kitchen with Mitchie. I didn't want anyone to see me during a mental breakdown. It was bad enough having Mitchie witness it, though she might be able to help some.

"Oh girls, hello. I don't need any help yet," Ms. Torres said, smiling, as she bustled around the kitchen.

"We know. We were just avoiding the huge crowd," Mitchie quickly covered, "Well just be sitting over here talking. Bye Mom!"

"Alright girls, but don't forget to make some new friends," Ms. Torres said, as she organized the kitchen to her liking. Mitchie and I sat on the little porch outside the back door.

"I promise you, it'll be okay," Mitchie said reassuringly. She didn't know what was going to happen, but I applauded her for trying. Afterall, I tore Nate out of my heart and stomped him into the ground. I was so much better without him, right?

"Hey Mitchie," Shane said walking up to us. We both smiled, though I knew that I didn't look happy.

"Hey Shane," Mitchie said as she stood up to give Shane a hug. They managed to remain friends all summer, through school and Christmas and during his tour. They made it look easy to stay in touch, but they only stayed friends. I was going to get those two together if it killed me.

"Well, I've got to catch up with Nate and Jason. We're meeting Brown to discuss what classes we'll be teaching," Shane said, smiling. He was a different person since being forced to stay here last year. He was nice, sane, happy, and human. I looked to where Shane was walking off to, and clear as day was Nate. He didn't notice me or anything, but just seeing him was enough to drive me insane.

I knew this is what was going to happen if I saw him. I knew this would happen if I didn't tell Mitchie everything in the cabin. But, it was happening out here, for the world to see. I was having a complete, and total, mental breakdown. Caitlyn Marie Gellar never cried, but this was one exception. Mitchie quickly took me into her arms.

"Caitlyn, it will be okay. I promise. Just one summer and you'll never have to see him again," Mitchie said rubbing my back. I knew that was the truth, but I couldn't stop the tears. I guess because I knew I couldn't get over him. I couldn't fill the place in my heart where he used to be. I never meant to breakdown like this.

"I'm sorry Mitchie," I blubbered into Mitchie's hair, feeling ridiculous. I could hear her try to stifle a laugh.

"Why?" Mitchie asked, as we linked arms and walked towards our cabin. I was nearing sanity again, which was good.

"Cause I'm a mess, and you have to keep me sane. That can't be fun," I said, laughing, as our cabin came into view. Mitchie just chuckled.

"It's what friends do," Mitchie said, switching her chuckle for a smile. She opened the cabin door and let me walk through. Olivia was on her bed, reading a magazine. Her head shot up when she saw us.

"Oh my god! You wouldn't believe what just happened to me," Olivia said, as she confirmed my thought about her being the girl from the cafeteria. I silenced a laughed.

"What?" I unwillingly prodded, but her smile was growing by the minute and soon enough she would look like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland.

"I met Tess Tyler. She's so nice," Olivia said, rolling off her bed and landing right side up on the floor. Mitchie and I exchanged eye rolls. Olivia bounced a bit more before continuing, "And I met Connect Three. They were all so cute and sweet."

I felt Mitchie's eyes boring a hole into my head. I watched Olivia bounce as she put the magazine on top of her dresser. I turned to Mitchie and smiled. I was fine. One mental breakdown could do that to a girl. I flopped onto my bed as Olivia sat on the edge of hers.

"The one about our age thinks I have serious dance talent. He even asked me for some lessons," Olivia said, her smile growing. I could have sworn it was going to grow larger than her face, but I didn't care. I was preoccupied about her being all over Nate. She wasn't done talking yet, "I'm giving him some lessons right now. I'll see you guys at dinner!"

"ARGGG!" I screamed into my pillow as the door closed behind her bouncing little body.

"I don't how many more times I can tell you: it'll be okay," Mitchie said, sitting next to me on my bed.

**Again, sorry for the shortness. I'm just trying to lay out the main parts before diving into the drama and everything. Please just bear with me. Reviews make me happy!**

**Oh, and please tell me if you think Shane and Mitchie should become a couple in this story. Thanks.**


	3. Falling?

**Alright, this chapter is a little longer than the others. It's also a little more dramatic.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"Campfire games!" Olivia yelled, poking her head into the cabin for us to hear that, before dashing away.

Mitchie and I had cooked dinner with Ms. Torres for the entire camp. We ate, and then came back here. We had a little bit of a heart to heart about why I don't need Nate anymore, about how I am strong and independent. Then, we ended up falling asleep. Needless to say, it wasn't our most exciting day at camp. Though I did feel really confident now.

"Come on Mitchie," I said, shaking Mitchie's shoulder, trying to wake her up. I was kind of thrilled to be doing something different than the other years at camp. We never had campfire games.

"What?" Mitchie mumbled, clearly still somewhat asleep. I jumped onto her bed, making her shoot up. Mitchie looked completely panicked, "Where's the fire?"

"On the beach by the lake. Come on," I said, knowing she didn't mean the campfire. By the time we got down there everyone was sitting around the campfire and Dee was talking.

"...groups of three, which we have already picked, and a counselor for this scavenger hunt," Dee finished saying. Mitchie and I both sat on the last log.

"Barron, Lola, and Ella with Jason," Brown said. I noticed this wasn't the entire camp. I tapped Ella's shoulder. She turned her head towards me.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked Peggy. The fire was flickering in front of us. Something about the entire atmosphere was comforting.

"It's only select few each night. Tonight it's the people Brown thinks have potential to become huge," Peggy said. I nodded my head. Did he already know who was going to make it in Hollywood? Who didn't have potential? Maybe the newer campers.

"Peggy, Sander, and Mitchie with Shane," Brown said, making Mitchie squeal. Everyone knew there was something between her and Shane. It was so obvious. She stood up and joined the other two plus Shane.

"Lastly, Tess, Caitlyn, and Olivia with Nate," Dee said. My eyes were as large as a bug. I knew that Tess would just bother the hell out of me, plus Olivia and her dancing lessons. I would be there trying not to go insane or anything.

I just decided that I just had to go with it. I mean, Brown nor Dee would be too thrilled if I threw a temper tantum, or if I flat out refused. I walked over to my group, ignoring Nate. I could feel his eyes on the back of my head. Mitchie walked over and gave me a hug. I could see Shane watching Mitchie. I think he liked her too.

"You'll be fine. I'll see you later," Mitchie said, leaving me alone with a spoiled brat, a peppy princess, and my ex. It couldn't get any worse than this.

"Okay, so we have to find everything on this list faster than any other group," Nate said, his voice so soothing. After all the heartbreak he put me though, did I still want him? After everything Mitchie said about not needing him, was I going to fall for him again?

"We can so do this," Olivia said, giving Nate an uncomfortable hug. I couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune.

"One, two, three, start hunting!" Dee said, as the groups ripped open their envelopes and started to run off. A leaf bigger than someone's fist, plastic spoon, colored picture from arts and crafts, a blue shoe, picture of someone on the lifeguard tower, someone wearing mixed matched socks, and a red rock. Olivia started to run off to get an item from the list.

"You are supposed to be holding hands, so no one can go too far off. You should have been paying attention to the directions," Brown said, turning Olivia around and sending her back to our group. Nate was leading the group. Olivia and Tess grabbed hands, and Olivia grabbed mine.

"You wanna hold Nate's hand?" I asked Tess, hoping for once she would listen and get the clue.

"Not really. I want to be in the very back, incase of spider webs and stuff," Tess said, as Nate impatiently held out his hand for someone to grab. I just stood there, not knowing exactly what do to. Nate took my hand and we rushed off into the little forest.

There was something about my hand being in his that was so comforting, so relaxing. I decided he was like a drug. He was my own little drug, and well, I was addicted. It was like no matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop thinking about him, stop wanting him. This – I thought staring at our interlocked hands – wasn't helping.

"Who has the tiniest fist?" Nate asked upon reaching the middle of the trees. I couldn't help, but admire how tall trees got. We quickly all made fists, as Nate compared them under the flashlight, "Olivia does."

"Okay, let's try to find a leaf huge-er than my fist," Olivia said just standing there. She couldn't risk breaking a nail from picking up a lead or something. Just that thought made me roll my eyes. Tess, Nate, and I all compared leaves to Olivia's fist.

"This is impossible," Tess quietly whined. I nodded my head in agreement; we had been going through leaves for at least five minutes. I, suddenly, found a large brown leaf. I held it up to Olivia's fist. It was larger than her fist. I smiled.

"Got it," I said, feeling so accomplished. Nate and Tess both nodded, as I stuffed the leaf into the envelope. Nate smiled at me.

"Good job Caite," Nate said, giving me a quick hug, before taking my hand again. I could feel the blush rising, and my tummy flipping. I was supposed to be over him.

"Where are we supposed to get a plastic spoon from?" Tess asked. I thought of the obvious, cafeteria; they only ate with metal ones there. I remembered where we stored the plastic spoons in the kitchen for the picnics.

"In the kitchen!" I exclaimed as we ran out of the forest and towards the kitchen.

"How do you know?" Nate asked me as we ran up to the door. The light was still on, which meant Ms. Torres was still there.

"I work in the kitchen with Mitchie," I said, as I started banging on the door. Ms. Torres opened the door.

"Hello Caitlyn. Need the spoon?" Ms. Torres asked. That's why she was still here.

"Yes please," Tess responded. Ms. Torres put the plastic spoon into the envelope Nate was carrying.

"Good luck!" Ms. Torres called out as we started off towards the arts and crafts area. Tess quickly located a picture of two fish swimming.

"Nate, get the markers," Tess bossed around. I guess it was okay though, she was keeping us on track after all. Nate reached across the room, taking me and our clasped hand with him. He grabbed the markers and passed them to Olivia, as Tess started to color in the picture.

"That fish should be purple," Olivia said, as Tess shot her a confused glance, "I mean, you already have a green bottom of the lake, blue water, orange sky, yellow setting sun, and red fish. If you color the other fish yellow, the picture will have too much of one color. Just a suggestion."

"Uhm...alright," Tess said, trading the yellow marker for a purple one, "I'll take your advice."

"What's wrong with her?" I heard Nate whisper in my ear, I could feel his hot breath on my neck. I flushed. I was definitely falling for him again. I was doing what I promised myself, and Mitchie, I wouldn't.

"Nothing. She's just a little out there I suppose," I said, not daring to lean closer to Nate to whisper. I didn't want my face in his curls, his enticing scent drawing me in.

"Done," Tess exclaimed, folding the picture and putting it in the envelope.

"So you work in the kitchen?" Nate asked me, as we all held hands again. I nodded. "Why?"

"I'll have a blue shoe in my cabin," Tess said, before I could answer Nate. She became the leader, taking us to her cabin.

"Well, Mitchie and I got framed last year, so I had to help out. This year, Mitchie has to because of her mom, so I'm just helping," I said, smiling. I was sure that out of everything Nate and I talked about when we were together and like best friends, we never covered that.

"I guess, you three can wait out here, while I get my shoe," Tess said, shaking her hand out of Olivia's.

"Wait. Brown said no one can wander off alone," Nate quickly said, making me flush. Olivia and Tess held hands and went into Tess's cabin; which left Nate and I standing outside, our hands intertwined.

"So, how have you been?" I asked Nate. Honestly, I didn't know what else to say. I was falling for him again. And, I told Mitchie I wasn't letting him back into my heart, but who can deny a drug addiction.

"You never answered my texts," Nate softly said, he sounded a little sad. I didn't know how to handle this.

"Sorry. I was trying to get over you, for real this time," I said, not knowing if that helped any.

"Did it work?" Nate simply asked. I didn't even know the answer to that question myself. It did until I saw him, which meant, technically, it failed. I threw his stuff away, ignored him, shut him out of my heart, but he still found a way back in.

"I- I'm not sure," I said, still confused. The cabin door swung open, as Tess held up an electric blue flip flop. We stuffed it into the manila envelope. I took Olivia's hand, and we were off.

"To the lake," Olivia said, as we walked off towards the lake. It was a short and silent walk to one of the lifeguard towers.

"How am I supposed to take a picture when no one can wander off alone?" Tess asked, taking out her phone and opened the camera part. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Caitlyn and Nate start climbing," Olivia said, letting go of my hand and pushing us towards the white tower.

"Well, isn't this familiar?" I asked Nate as we sat down, our hands still together.

"Yea, I guess it is," Nate said, letting go of my hand, and putting his fingers between mine. We totally looked like a couple. We smiled at the camera.

"It's good," Tess said, as we went to climb down.

"No Caitlyn, everyone goes to the beach during the winter. Oh yea, who? Well, us," I said, reenacting the conversation between us. He was back in California for a concert and we had the day to hang out. It was like forty degrees out, and we were going to the beach.

"You didn't complain," Nate said, laughing. Of course I didn't. I liked him so much back then. But, was I going to fall for him as hard, again?

**Okay, so I figured if I finished the scavenger hunt in this chapter it would be HUGE and no one would read it because of the length. However, this is larger than the two previous chapters, so yay for that. Please Review!**

**Should Nate and Caitlyn end up together at the end?**


	4. Definitely Falling

**Sorry for the delay in the update. Soccer started this week, and I have been exhausted after practice. So it was a power nap, and then off to paint some woman's house. My friends and I volunteered, and in return, the woman is going to write lovely recommendations for our colleges. It'll all pay off. Though it's so strenuous and boring. But, I'm here now, so let's continue with the story. Yay!  
Thank you for all of the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

_During the scavenger hunt, Nate and Caitlyn are sitting on the lifeguard tower. They reminisce about their past relationship as they are climbing down the tower._

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"Would you guys hurry up?" Olivia asked, obviously getting impatient. I guess she really wanted to win. Nate and I were laughing and trying to get down as our fingers were locked together.

I ended up missing a step and falling into the sand by the lake; which in turn brought Nate down with me. We both lay there, in a heap on the ground, not saying a word. Until we started to laugh even harder than we were before. Seriously, what were the odds that we would have fallen out of the lifeguard tower AND ended up on top of each other?

"Nate, don't you wanna win?" Tess asked, as Nate and I stood up, still laughing and still having our fingers intertwined. I grasped Olivia's hand.

"I'll sacrifice beauty for the mix-matched socks," Olivia said, leading us in the direction of our cabin. She sounded completely serious, making me and Nate laugh even harder. Somehow, we still managed to walk on the bumpy ground.

"I'll get the socks with you," Tess said, as Olivia let go of my hand and walked into the cabin with Tess. Nate and I had regained out composure from the laugh attack, and now it was eerily silent.

"You think we'll win?" I asked Nate, who was rubbing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. It was giving me goose bumps.

"I don't know. Hopefully," Nate said, as we heard shrieks from up the mountain, but it wasn't near the lake. The lake was where the finish line was.

"Me too," I said, as the silence fell again, "What do we get if we win?"

"Well, winners gets a chance to skip a class," Nate said, smiling at me, "The losers have different stuff to perform around camp. The group in the middle is neutral."

"We've got the socks," Tess declared, as Olivia grabbed my hand. She was wearing one hot pink sock with black stars, and the other was lime green with electric blue stripes. She was showing then off with black gladiator sandals.

"Red rock," Olivia said, as we ran off to where the rocks were. They were lining the pathway to the cafeteria. We shuffled through them, along with Jason's group.

"Got one," I said, holding the smooth brick red rock in my hand. We started to run off to the lake.

"I found one!" Ella shouted, just moments after we had left. We were sprinting full speed. Shane's group was being led out of the forest by fearless Mitchie. She saw us running towards Brown and Dee, and she started to pull her group along with her as we sprinted along. I could hear Jason's group right behind us.

"Okay, so Nate's group got here first, but let's make sure they have everything from the list," Dee said, as everyone was panting. Running with all your might across a small beach was difficult. I mean, running on sand didn't work too well, but with shoes it was even more of a problem. Dee shuffled through the items in our manila folder, checked Tess's phone, and saw Olivia's socks, "Good job!"

"Nate's group gets the freedom to miss a class whenever they please, but only one," Brown said, taking Shane's manila envelope. As he went through the contents of the envelope I couldn't help, but notice how everyone else had let go of each others hands, but Nate and I still held on.

"Nice job Shane and company. You guys get no privileges, or punishments," Dee said, taking Jason's manila envelope. Mitchie and I shared a smile, and then her eyes glanced to the intertwined fingers of Nate and I. I flushed.

"So sorry Jason, Ella, Sander, and Lola. You guys have extra duties to do around the camp, at least until the next campfire challenge for your entire group," Brown said, taking the unlucky four aside. I guess he was giving them their responsibilities.

"Alright, campers need their sleep for tomorrow. Counselors please escort them to their cabins," Dee said, as we all filed away from the lake, leaving the losers. Nate and I were still holding hands as Olivia and Tess walked next to us.

"Can you guys drop me off first?" Tess asked. Then she added, with a yawn, "I'm so tired."

"Sure," Nate said, as we changed direction. The walk to the cabin was so silent. When we finally arrived Peggy was already inside.

"Bye guys. We did good," Tess said, hugging Olivia before going inside. The door closed and we started to walk back towards the lake.

"I told you she was nice," Olivia said, smiling. Olivia was getting on my nerves less and less. And, something was different about Tess, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Mhm. You certainly did," I eventually replied to Olivia. It seemed like she was the third wheel to me and Nate. I guess the hand holding was getting to me. I mean, I could feel his eyes on me now.

"Well, I'm gonna hop in the shower before you," Olivia said, with a sly smile, as she climbed the steps into our cabin. Nate and I stood there, holding hands right below the staircase, like couples awkwardly do after a date. That entire thought made me blush.

"It was really nice seeing you again, Cait," Nate said, slipping his hand out of my grip and giving me a hug.

"Same here," I said, still hugging him. This was definitely an I-want-you hug, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Nate softly said in my ear, giving me goose bumps again. We still didn't part. This could easily have been the longest hug in the whole wide world.

"Well, I really should be getting some sleep," I said, pulling away from Nate the slightest bit, "After all, I do have those placement tests."

"Right," Nate said, as he let me slip out of his grip, "Night Caitlyn."

"Night Nathaniel," I said, smiling. I went into the cabin, closing the door behind me, and Mitchie was already ready with the questions.

"I thought you were over him?" Mitchie nearly screamed. I heard the shower running. I guess Olivia wasn't lying when she said she was going to jump in there first.

"Well..." I said, not knowing what to say to Mitchie. She knew how much he hurt me. Plus, I told her I wouldn't let him hurt me again; not that he was hurting me now, but maybe later. I took in a breath, "I guess I'm not as over him as I thought I was."

"Cait, I'm happy for you; I really am, but I don't want to see you hurt again," Mitchie said, sitting on her bed. I laid down on mine, and stared at the ceiling. Her sentence could be translated into: 'Caitlyn, you know how much he hurt you, why are you putting yourself through it again?'

"I don't want to be hurt again either, but it seemed so right," I told Mitchie, but I couldn't tell her about how I was mentally referring him to a drug. Even though her and I were really close, she would still think I was crazy.

"Well, I can't stop you from doing anything," Mitchie said, sounding a little defeated. I smiled.

"I know. It's just crazy. I was totally over him earlier this night, and then we got those groups. I thought it was going to be complete hell. Then I found out we had to hold hands. I wanted to die," I said, remembering my emotions just an hour or two ago, "Somewhere along the way, that all changed."

"More like they were on top of each other, and always smiling at each other," Olivia chimed in. I could feel my face heating up.

"You guys were on top of each other?" Mitchie asked, her voice rising again. I nodded, letting my hair fall over my face to conceal the redness climbing up my neck.

"We just fell off the lifeguard tower," I said nonchalantly, as the blush rose up into my face.

"Like you were in January," Mitchie said, before playfully pinching my cheek, "How cute."

"Stop it," I said, swatting way her hand. I couldn't help but smile at how him and I were getting closer again. I just had this nagging thought, that I pushed into the back of my head, about me getting hurt all over again.

**Oh noes! Caitlyn is, yet again, questioning Nate's actions and her feelings towards him. Reviews please!**

**Also, should Jason have a love interest, or no? If yes, who?**


	5. It's a Small World

**Finally done with the **_**first day of camp**_**, I promise not to linger that much on a single day anymore. Haha. Now, I'm no computer genius, nor do I have a Mac, so I am completely winging the actual assessment part. Sorry if it makes no sense, when I was writing this last night it made all the sense in the world. Just try and bear with me, please.**

**Disclaimer: Yup, I still own nothing.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"Alright Campers, we need to assess everyone's ability for whatever major they are striving for this year; everyone will have the opportunity to work on all skills here at Camp Rock," Dee simply said to the entire camp, "Singer's to my left, dancer's to my right, and techie's stay put."

"Bye Mitchie," I said, giving her a hug before she walked off to where the rest of the singers were. Olivia was already over by her fellow dancers.

"Save me a seat for lunch," Mitchie said as she started to walk over to where the singers were. Mitchie was in the crowd that was following Dee to where the new studio was located. Olivia was headed towards the dance room, following Brown. I was sitting here, alone; well not really, there were other people, just no one I talked to.

"Alright, tech's, let's head over to the lab," A man said; I could have sworn he was a camper. We all got up and followed him to the room full of Mac's.

"At least there's an actual tech program this year," A curly haired girl standing next to me said. I never saw her before.

"Exactly," I said, smiling. Maybe, she had been here before, and I just hadn't noticed her before.

"My name is Rupert, and I was hired strictly to teach you guys how to become musical producers," Rupert said. I made a mental note of what he looked like: short, spiky black hair, kind of tall, olive skin, maybe green / hazel eyes, "Take a seat at one of the Mac's and turn it on."

"I'm kind of excited about this," The curly haired girl sitting next to me said.

"I know. This is what I've wanted to do my whole life," I said, as the Mac booted up.

"I've been thinking about coming here for quite sometime, but they didn't have a musical production major," The curly haired girl said, as my computer was fully loaded.

"Now, everyone open GarageBand," Rupert said, smiling, "You will have until the lunch bell rings to compose a one to two minute song. After lunch we'll listen to them."

"I'm Cassidy," The curly hai- Cassidy said. She had super pale skin, but perfect brown curls to make up for it. Now that I think about it, she kind of looked like Nate, but who was I kidding.

"Caitlyn," I said, smiling. I checked the time. I had three and a half hours to get my song put together; I could take a little bit of talking time.

"Gellar?" Cassidy asked, her eyes huge. I nodded. "My cousin mentioned your name before."

"Who's you cousin?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"Nate. And, technically, Jason and Shane, but they never mentioned you before. Only Nate," Cassidy said, a huge smile on her face. I was right. She did look like him.

"Wow. What a small world?" I rhetorically asked. Rupert was checking up on everyone, while Cassidy and I chitchatted.

"Girls, you might want to get to work," Rupert said, clapping a hand on each of our shoulders.

"We will," Cassidy and I said at the same time. Rupert smiled, and walked over to check on the group of guys.

---

"Alright, save your songs. The lunch bell will ring in a minu-" Rupert said, getting cut off by the lunch bell, "See you after lunch."

"I can't believe you and Nate," Cassidy said since I told her everything about our relationship, or lack thereof. I rolled my eyes as we stood up.

"Me either," I softly said. We both walked out the door, and to the cafeteria.

"I haven't seen him keep a solid relationship...ever," Cassidy said, as she let out a little laugh.

"Why?" I asked, as we made our way to the cafeteria steps. The Mac lab was the closest major area to the cafeteria, so it was empty when we entered.

"I don't know. Well, he's shy, and I guess that makes him a commitment-phobe," Cassidy said, and right before I could answer someone else entered the conversation.

"Maybe he's afraid of getting hurt," Olivia said. I rolled my eyes. I wouldn't hurt him...well, intentionally anyway.

"I don't know. It's messed up," I mumbled, grabbing a plate and tray, "And, I'm sure he's hurt me more than he's ever been afraid of."

"You never know," Cassidy said, as I piled some pasta onto my plate.

"Hey Cait," Mitchie said, nearly bouncing up to me, just like Olivia did yesterday.

"Hey Mitch," I shortly said. Mitchie looked at the girl standing next to me, "Mitchie, Cassidy. Cassidy, Mitchie."

"Nice to meet you," Mitchie and Cassidy said at the same time. Mitchie already had a plate of food, as I was filling up my glass with some fruit punch.

"Where did you get that?" Olivia asked, eyeing the food. It did look better than anything the cafeteria would be serving.

"Shane got it for me," Mitchie said, her smile growing with each word. I was going to talk with her later about that. Mitchie and I scoped out the cafeteria. It was feeling a little full.

"Let's eat outside," I suggested as Mitchie and I led the way to the outdoor patio. Olivia and Cassidy followed close behind.

"So, how was everyone's morning?" Mitchie asked the table, as she picked up her fork.

"It was good. I never knew how much fun making a song could be," Cassidy sarcastically said, rolling her eyes. I agreed with her. It was so boring, but that's what assessment was about, right? "I could have done that entire assignment in like a half an hour."

"I know, and then he gave us like nearly four hours. I wanted to die," I overdramatically added to the conversation.

"Then, he scolded us for talking. I had too much time for that," Cassidy cried out. I smiled.

"How was dance, Olivia?" I asked her only because I knew she was new, and this would all be a little surreal and intimidating for her.

"It was good. I never knew everyone could dance so well! I felt so retarded with my mediocre skills," Olivia said, laughing.

"I'm sure you weren't that bad," Mitchie said. She had a way of reassuring people.

"Eh. You're probably right, but it just felt like I was doing horrible," Olivia said, eating her carbs. She would need those if she was going to dance for another two hours or so.

"Mitchie, right?" Cassidy asked. Mitchie nodded in response, "What major are you?"

"Singing," Mitchie replied, smiling. I think eating food from Shane, reminded her of him. Which would explain why she was blushing now. I laughed. Everyone stared out my random outburst.

"Sorry," I said, feeling a little embarrassed. I really needed to control my sporatic bursts laughter.

"And, how's singing going for you?" Cassidy asked Mitchie. If only the cousin of Connect Three had heard that girl sing. She wouldn't even bother asking her.

"It's been going good," Mitchie said, smiling yet again. Was her class really that good?

"You know, I was scared that everyone here would be stuck up, and I'd have to namedrop to get any friends," Cassidy said, laughing. Olivia nodded in agreement.

"It depends who you're trying to be friends with," Mitchie said, and I could tell she was thinking about last summer. Oh the drama!

"So, I'm – we're – safe here?" Olivia asked for the both of them. Mitchie and I nodded.

"Good," Cassidy said, expressing her relief. I was out of pasta, and Olivia was done with her plateful of food. The lunch bell rang, meaning lunchtime was over.

"I'll show you where to put your dirty dishes," I said, getting up.

"Paper plate. I'll just head back to music. It was nice meeting you Cassidy," Mitchie said, shaking Cassidy's hand. Then, she turned to Olivia and I, "See you guys in the cabin after class."

---

"I can't believe Rupert didn't like my piece," Cassidy said, obviously hurt. To be honest, I didn't think it was that great.

"I can't believe he made our assessment a two day long thing," I said, trying to change the subject. Everyone else would be picking minors and practicing, having fun; we would be sitting in the lab being assessed some more. It wasn't fair.

"Isn't everyone else's?" Cassidy asked. I was so grateful that she changed the subject.

"Nope. Today is their only day," I said, seeing my cabin. I smiled. Not that I didn't enjoy my time with Cassidy, but she complained a lot. As in, more than any average person should.

"Bummer," Cassidy said, as we got to the little path where I went to my cabin and she walked away.

"Well, here's my cabin. I'll see you tomorrow Cassidy," I said, watching Cassidy keep walking around the lake. It was only three o'clock, and I was exhausted.

**Well, it most definitely is a small world. Haha. I don't know why, but I kind of enjoyed adding Cassidy and Olivia. In case you haven't noticed the majority of the story is going to revolve around Caitlyn and Nate, with some Mitchie and Shane stuff. And, I'd like to apologize to the many breaks in the chapter. I had no idea on how to connect them fluidly. REVIEW PLEASE!**


	6. Closet Adventures

**Sorry for the massive delay in the updates. I've had soccer double sessions, leaving me beat. Then, hanging out with friends and family, trying to get the last drop out of summer. In return for being such fabulous reviews, I made a looong and smiley chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I owned the rights to Camp Rock and all was going well, then I woke up. Get real people.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"Alright, today we will be working on fixing a bad recording of a song," Rupert said, a crazy huge smile on his face. Someone had too much caffeine this morning, I thought. Rupert's smile didn't falter as he continued, "But, I have someone to introduce to you."

As, Rupert said those works, Nate himself stood up from behind the one Mac. I could feel a slight smile creep onto my face, as I saw his. Pathetic, right? I was never one to smile when I saw someone. I was getting soft. I was becoming one of those psycho girls: who wears all pink, and constantly smiles, and giggles consistently. Oh no! I could save myself; all I needed to do was wipe the smile off my face. But, it wouldn't move. Nate's eyes locked on mine, and that smile was there to stay.

"So, I just need someone to help Nate get the CDs with scratches on the surface and the voices," Rupert said, still sounding too happy for eight o'clock in the morning. I wonder what he would be like without his precious coffee, or whatever is making him like this.

"Caitlyn, come on," Nate said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of my chair. I walked down the little hallway with our arms linked. I had no idea what was going on. I last remember- oh! I was helping Nate get the CDs. Right.

"Need help?" I said, noticing that Nate was having some trouble opening the door. He jiggled the handle several times, but it never opened.

"No," Nate said, focusing on getting the handle turned and the door open. He let go, and turned to me, "Go for it."

"Okay," I said, stepping to where he was, and in one easy twist I got the door open. I smiled at Nate, as he looked as if he saw a ghost. But, that wouldn't be completely weird, this hallway was mad sketchy.

"Thanks," Nate said, stepping into the dark room, and dragging me after. Was he scared?

"No problem," I softly said, cautiously taking steps in the dimly lit room; the hallway was the only light for now, "So, why are you helping with the tech stuff?"

"Because the point of being here is for us to help you guys, and learn a bit about ourselves. I got stuck with the computer stuff," Nate said, as I silently laughed. He had difficulty sending an e-mail, well until I taught him, but there was no way Nate could handle this.

"Switch with Jason or something," I suggested. Nate found a light switch, that lit up a small bulb in the middle of the room. It wasn't much light at all.

"He won't. He specifically wanted to work in the outdoors category," Nate said, as a small smile twitched onto his face. Nate and I scanned the room for anything that looked like a CD case. Nothing.

"How about Shane?" I asked, knowing he was a long shot, but maybe he changed. I mean, he did lose his complete bad boy ways. The door eerily squeaked.

"Nope. He wanted dance and singing. Brown's letting him switch between the two," Nate said, as the last word rolled off his tongue, the door slammed shut. I screamed at the sudden slam, and the light hanging on the ceiling swung. I nearly jumped into Nate's arms. I was just short of terrified.

"We're gonna die!" I panicked for a moment, as I watched the light swing back and forth. Nate cautiously made his way over to the door, tugging on the knob. It didn't open.

"We're gonna be fine," Nate said, giving me a hug. I know he was trying to comfort me, but it felt like so much more. His strong arms were holding me tight, and I was praying that my hormones didn't get the best of me.

"How can you be so sure?" I asked, feeling calm again. I think just being in his arms did that to me. I was instantly soothed.

"Because I am Nate Gray," Nate cockily said, as I giggled, "No. Really it's because Rupert wouldn't forget about us and Cassidy's in that class. She's my cousin."

"I know," I said, remembering all about our talk yesterday. She was nice, but I didn't really like her.

"Oh," Nate simply said, as I noticed the light hitting his face. His face was a nice shade of pink. It was so cute. He let go of me with one arm to rub the back of his neck, "Did she say anything about me?"

"Nope," I said, as he looked relieved and put his arm back on me, "Just a few words in a passing. She mentioned that she was Connect Three's cousin."

"Yea. She's a piece of work, but I love her. She complains a lot, and butts into people's lives–" Nate was saying, when I so rudely tuned him out. Cassidy locked Nate and I in here. She knew that he was having commitment issues, and she knew how it bothered me. I guess she assumed that we still wanted each other. A dark, lone closet. It was the perfect place to lock us in.

"She's the reason were trapped," I said, sliding out of Nate's grip and sitting on the floor. He quickly joined my, his hand finding mine.

"How?" Nate questioned, obviously confused. His hand was playing with my fingers, giving me the chills.

"Well, she knew that you and I had a thing. And, she knew how you were a commitment-phobe. I think this is some ploy of hers," I said, smiling. I felt proud of the detective work I was doing.

"I know she butts into people's lives, but she wouldn't play matchmaker," Nate said, his hand leaving mine. My hand felt a little naked without his right there.

"It was only a guess, Nate," I said, pouting a little bit. Nate _always_ fell for the pout, whether it was sincere or not.

"Caite, I didn't mean it like that," Nate said, scooting closer. I smiled, knowing the pout still worked on him. His hand was quickly playing with mine again.

"I know," I said, resting my head on his shoulder. I still had no doubt in my mind that Cassidy put us here, but I wasn't going to mention it again.

"So, wanna play truth or dare?" Nate childishly suggested. I silently laughed.

"How about just truths?" I asked, knowing dares were going to get a little out of hand and outrageous. His hand was currently, intertwined with mine.

"That would just be like twenty questions," Nate said, but it sounded like he was whining a little.

"Then, we'll just play twenty questions, the truth version," I said, putting on my best spokesperson voice. I saw Nate smile at my lame attempt to make this more interesting.

"Fine," Nate said, a small pout on his face, but I didn't give into the pout, "You go first."

"Okay," I said, thinking of a question to ask Nate. My thinking process was badly clouded by Nate's hand being all with my hand. I needed to say something, "Did you ever regret something from your past?"

"Uhm," Nate said, still thinking. My lame question had him stumped? Nate's fingers slipped out from between mine, as he started to rub circles on the back of my hand, "Maybe not regret, just something I wanted a re-do on."

"Care to share?" I asked, like they asked you in preschool. He flushed.

"You can't ask that. It's my turn," Nate said, sticking out his tongue. I laughed at his childish antics, as I could see the light bulb going on about his head, "Did you ever figure out what was keeping you up at night? Remember? In like January you would text me at like three or four in the morning saying you couldn't sleep."

"Yea, I did," I shortly said. It was because I missed him, even though it was right after the first major breakup. I couldn't get over him, and it's all I was thinking about. I know I probably should have sworn him off right then and there, but I couldn't. Maybe if he would have left my head for an entire two seconds I would have had sleep deprivation.

"Care to share?" Nate mocked me. I smiled, and pushed his shoulder gently with my free hand.

"Not your turn to ask, silly," I said, smiling, "What do you want a re-do on?"

"Cait," Nate whined, his eyes pleading with mine. I held my gaze.

"It's my turn to ask, and I'm asking," I said, matter-of-factly. Nate looked like he was ready to dig a whole through the concrete and find a way out of here. I didn't know what was so bad with a simple question.

"Fine," Nate said, sounding like a little kid whose mother didn't let him have that cookie before dinner. But, that didn't stop Nate from keeping his fingers entangled with mine. I was getting a serious case of the butterflies. Nate's free hand was rubbing the back of his neck, before he mumbled something incoherent to me.

"Huh?" I asked, not having the slightest clue as to what he said, or might have said.

"I said it once, don't make me repeat it," Nate said, still sounding like some small kid. I could just picture him standing all short, with his arms crossed over his chest, a defiant tone to his voice.

"Well, I could hear you Mr. Mumble," I said, moving my head back and forth. For a moment, I almost forgot we were sitting on a dirty concrete floor in a creepy storage closet, down a sketchy hallway. Almost, being the keyword.

"Us," Nate said, staring into my eyes, as he seemed to freeze up. His hand stopped tangoing with mine.

"You want to re-do us?" I cautiously asked, before adding, "Again?"

Nate just nodded, as the lunch bell rang. You think someone would have said something about us being locked in the closet, and never coming back. But, no one thought twice to let us out. I would have to thank the person who trapped us in here. I mean, Nate wanted to get back together, not that it was any surprise, but it was unexpected given the conditions.

I didn't know what to say to all of this. I was having a hard time comprehending it. He broke my heart three times during the school year. I swore him off. I drew a mustache on his face with my older sister. I wanted nothing to do with him. I was over him. Then, he showed his face in camp, and I was a mess again. I fell apart at the seams. I became a piece of Jell-O over him. Was he worth it? Should I let him back into my heart? There was no guarantee that I wouldn't be hurt again, but I guess that was a risk I would have to be willing to take.

"Well, it's your turn for a question," I said, as Nate came back to life playing with my hand. My mind was still running a mile a minute, trying to figure out what to do about this.

"Right," Nate said, trying to slice his way through the palpable awkwardness that was built up. It was no longer the joking and childish air. Nate cleared his throat, "Would you ever get back together with me?"

I could have sworn my heart stopped. The tone that was set before was destroyed in a matter of questions. I could feel my hands clamming up, but that didn't stop Nate from playing with my fingers. I didn't know what to say. I knew I should think about it, but ultimately, I would go crawling back to him, like I always did. I was strong, independent. I didn't need him. But why did it feel so empty without him in my life?

"I don't–" I said, stopping myself, as I saw Nate's face fall. I knew I would go back to him. I always did. "I don't think I could resist."

"Oh," Nate said, a small smile on his face. I think I just wiped away his worries for a while. Nate's hand came off of the back of his neck, and pushed a stray piece of hair away from my face, "Your turn."

"I don't have any more questions. You?" I said, not wanting to course into uncharted waters again. It was bad enough the first time.

"I have a dare," Nate said, a sly smile coming onto his face. I braced myself for ultimate humiliation, or sacrifice. Nate's smile grew a bit, "Two actually."

"No. This was twenty questions, not dares," I said, not wanting to do anything crazy. I just wanted to sit here and talk, his fingers laced with mine. He started to make chicken noises. My inner competitive child was wanting to break free, "Bring it. Both of them."

"That's the Caitlyn, I know," Nate said, still smiling, as he rubbed circles on the back of my hand with his thumb, "I dare you to kiss me."

Nate sweet smile turned into a devilish one as the words slipped off of his tongue. I smiled right on back. Nate moved the same rebellious piece of hair from my face, again. I think he was determined to kiss me whether I took the dare or not. We both leaned in, our fingers still together, as our lips hit. They mingled as the lunch bell rang again. Class was starting, and still no one cared about us. Not that I wanted anyone to find us. We finally parted after learning the old routes.

"The second dare?" I asked, knowing if it was anything like the last one, I could handle it. My head was still caught up in a whirl, and my lips tingled. Other than that, I was on Cloud Nine.

"Skip class with me tomorrow. We'll go down by the lake," Nate said, smiling. I pushed the old cycle out of my head, though it kept coming back.

We would kiss and get together again. For a week or two, everything seemed to be perfect. Then, he started avoiding me, not showing up when he said he would; he would blame it on business, concerts, brothers, grounding, whatever worked. We officially ended it. Shortly after, I would suffer from insomnia, and out of habit, I would text him. We would talk a bit, and get my false hope back up. He would then stop answering my texts. I would have a mental break down, and swear him off. Once I did that, he would be all over me again, and the cycle would repeat itself.

"Okay," I said, smiling. I overrode my cycle thoughts with happy thoughts about the lake and how much fun it would be, just me and him and nature.

**Whoo! They kissed! Yay! Also, longest chapter so far, and I think I wrote it really well. Any thoughts are always welcome. As well as those who don't have a FanFiction account, I do accept anonymous reviews.**


	7. Freak Storm

**Wow. Thanks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

Walking back to the cabin with Cassidy, once she let Nate and I out of the closet, was silent and I was trapped in a daze. Had I really just kissed Nate? Did we plan a date for tomorrow? My god. It was so surreal.

"So, how did you finally realize Nate and I were missing?" I asked Cassidy, still assuming that she had a part in the reason why we were trapped, but I wasn't going to push it.

"Well, I thought you guys were in a make out session, so I went to get the CDs. You guys weren't there, so I made up something about Nate having band rehearsal and you had to go with him. Rupert bought it," Cassidy said, fighting off a small smile, "When class was over and neither of you showed up for lunch, I thought something was wrong. I went back down the hall after class, and you guys were in the complete wrong room."

"Oh. That's pretty crazy," I said, smiling as I thought back to earlier today. It was perfect.

"What did you guys end up doing in there all day?" Cassidy asked, obviously noticing my smile. Plus, who in their right mind would just sit there when they had the kid they liked trapped with them? Not me.

"Asking each other questions. It was kind of boring," I said, trying to cover my growing smile. Cassidy nodded her head.

"Right. Whatever you say," Cassidy said, winking. She didn't believe me, "Tell Olivia I'll be at the pool in like ten minutes. I have to change."

"Okay Cass. Bye," I said, as Cassidy ran off to her cabin. I entered mine, "Olivia?"

"Here," Olivia called from the bathroom. I guess she was getting ready for the pool.

"Cassidy said give her ten minutes, and she'll be at the pool," I relayed the info. I flopped onto my bed, and whipped out the Mac, Rupert made me take. It was complete with some crappy song for me to fix. I hated doing work outside of class.

"Okay. And, Mitchie said she'd be back in like a half an hour. She had a thing," Olivia said. I laughed. She was obviously with Shane. It was too cute. I wondered what they were doing. Wait. Rewind. I don't want to know what they were doing.

"Alright," I said, opening Garage Band with the icky song. I played it, with the volume too loud. It was screechy and scratchy. My ears were going to bleed, no joke.

"What the hell is that?" Olivia asked, coming out of the bathroom covering her ears. I fumbled to find the volume button. I muted the horrendous noise; I wouldn't even call it music. The lab must have been a mess earlier today; all of the repulsive recordings in one room. Whoa.

"Assignment that I missed," I said, rolling my eyes and smiling. It wasn't even my fault. Nate didn't know which room to go to. It was just a disaster. On top of it, I have to do what the others did in class tonight.

"Wow. Sucks," Olivia said, laughing. She went back to primping herself in the bathroom. I guess she wasn't going to swim, maybe scope out the cuties at camp.

"I know," I groaned, as I softened up the voice...

---

"Caitlyn, they're having a bonfire tonight. You can't stay here all night," Olivia said, as her and Mitchie were ready to go down to the lake. Truthfully, I would have been thrilled, but I didn't want to see Nate. Could you imagine the awkward sexual tension between Nate and I?

"Okay. I'll meet you down there," I said, sitting up on my bed. Cassidy walked up to our door.

"I'll go with Cass. Mitchie, get her going," Olivia said, as her and Cassidy walked off.

"Tell me," Mitchie said, sitting next to me on my bed. Shit.

"Tell you what?" I said, getting up and shifting through the clothes in my dresser. Though, I knew nothing was wrong with what I was wearing, and I would ultimately end up going like this. But, I needed to busy myself, to keep the blush from coming.

"Why you're acting all weird, and why you nearly spoke at dinner, and why you don't want to leave. Did something happen with Nate?" Mitchie said, as those last words rolled off her tongue, I knew those were the killer words. The blood started to rush up towards my face, as it heated up.

"I just don't have much to say," I said, turning away from Mitchie, and tilted my head down. My light brown curls covered my face from Mitchie's, creating a curtain containing the blush.

"So, something did happen with Nate?" Mitchie said, as my stomach flip flopped. His name was starting to have that affect on me. Plus, seeing him made my heart ache.

Someone knocked on the door, and I felt so relieved, as I escaped into the bathroom. Mitchie went to open the door, as I looked at the rebellious curl Nate moved from my face twice. I bit my lip, and stared at my natural reflection.

"Mitchie! I have something huge to tell you," I think Shane said from the other side of the wall. He sounded really excited about what was going on. He really changed since he had been coming here.

"Shoot," Mitchie simply said, as I picked up Mitchie's makeup bag. I found brown eyeliner, and put it in my upper lid. It was enough makeup to make me feel very pretty, but not enough to feel too fake. It was perfect.

"Nate kissed Caitlyn!" Shane screamed, sounding like he was about to burst. Then, a gasp, Mitchie. Someone started banging on the bathroom door. My face was so hot, and there was no way to escape from here.

"Cait, you need to get your butt out here this minute!" Mitchie yelled. I assume, she had a billion and one questions for me. I sighed, as I stepped towards the door. I put my hand on the cool metal handle.

"Hey, this is good. Sing it to me?" I heard Shane say, as Mitchie ran away from the bathroom door.

"Shane, you're not supposed to be reading things like that," Mitchie said, sounding a little furious.

"But, it was laying right here, and it was songs. I'm a lyrical genius. I just figured a little peek wouldn't hurt anyone," Shane said, sounding remorseful. I heard Mitchie sigh.

"Fine. It didn't hurt anyone, but don't do it again," Mitchie reprimanded him, "A girl's stuff is personal."

"Okay," Shane said, sounding happy again. Then, everything went silent. I could probably hear a pin drop. I mean, it was dead silent. Had the left? No, I would have heard their footsteps. And, these walls were paper thin, I could hear if they were whispering. What was going on? Where they just standing there?

Finally, I got curious. I put my hand back on the cool metal, and silently opened the door. I poked my head in the small opening, and scoped out the room. Needless to say, Shane and Mitchie were standing in the middle of the room, hugging. Cute, I thought, as I walked out of the bathroom. As I got closer, I realized they were kissing. I shrieked, and jumped back to the bathroom door. They flew apart.

"Hey Caite," Mitchie innocently said, as my jaw dropped. If she was going to give me the third degree about kissing Nate, she had some talking to do, too.

"Don't 'hey Caite' me. I expect details," I said, stepping closer to Mitchie, as Shane inched towards the door. He was almost there, blush on his face and everything, "Shane. Stop right there."

"But…" Shane said, obviously trying to cover his need for escape. I dragged him into the middle of the room with Mitchie and guarded the door. But, someone tried to open the door behind me. I moved out of the way, and Nate walked into the room. The wind whipped around outside, and it was ominously dark. Nate sounded out of breath, as I closed the door behind him.

"Hey Shane. Come on. Brown says there's a–" Nate started to say, before getting cut off by the speaker system hooked up to each cabin and building.

"Hello campers. Everyone is to stay where they are until further direction. There is a huge storm coming in, and it's not safe for everyone to be panicking outside. Those outside, get to the nearest building or cabin. Remember, do not leave where you are," Brown said, before we heard the 'beep' secluding his message.

"– storm coming, and we need to get back to our cabin," Nate finished his message after Brown did, "Guess we're stuck here."

"Explain," Mitchie and I said at the same time, before turning a bright red color.

**Wow. Yay for freak storms! Haha. Tell me what you like, what you don't like about this story. Now read what's below.**

_"REVIEW PEOPLE! This story is going so well. It's written well, as well. I think everyone needs to stop just reading. Join the REVIEW REVOLUTION! You should put some kind of input into every story / chapter you read. Come on. It's not hard. Press the little green button and place something to show you care about the story. Caitlin isn't afraid to scream at you guys to get some reviews!"  
_**(Thank you Mikaela!!)**

**I love every review I receive, and I promise you will get a reply from me.**


	8. Heart and Soul

**Wow. We won our first soccer scrimmage. Seven nothing. What what?! Lol. I was so excited. Then, I got home to find this fantastic review by xoxoemily. With all that said, I decided to put my amazing mood into giving you guys another chapter. (Hope for more wins and amazing reviews, or I'll be too sad to write.)**

**Disclaimer: I had a dream that I wrote Camp Rock, and there was a kiss at the end. Too bad Disney decided to take someone else's idea. Oh well. That's life.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"Explain," Mitchie and I said at the same time, before turning a bright red color.

"I asked first," Mitchie and I both said at the same time again. It almost seemed rehearsed.

"No, I did," Mitchie and I said in unison. I took this moment to hear the howling wind outside, and realize I was trapped, yet again, with Nate.

"Ladies, what is the problem here?" Shane asked, as he walked away from the door. I guess his escape plan was a bust.

"She kissed him, and didn't tell me," Mitchie and I said the same words, just a little off this time. Both Shane and Nate backed away at this point.

"Well, technically Nate kissed her," Shane said, singling Nate out. We all turned to the poor kid. His ears were bright red, as he ducked his head down.

"We got locked in a closet during class, and we started asking each other questions. It ended up being dares. And, he dared me to kiss him, but he definitely leaned in first," I shortly said, summing up the story. Those were the key points. I was staring at Mitchie, I wanted answers.

"We both 'fessed up to liking each other after class. It just happened," Mitchie said, making her story even shorter than mine, but her face was definitely redder than mine.

"Well, embarrassing stuff is over. Let's make the best of being stuck here," Shane said, sitting on Mitchie's bed. I flopped onto mine, as Mitchie precariously sat on Olivia's. Nate stood there, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"You can sit here," I said, sitting up and scooting towards my pillow. The bed shifted as he sat near the end. The sky lit up for a split second, as the crack of lightening vibrated the cabin. I inched towards Nate scared, to say the least.

"So, you're Caitlyn?" Shane asked me. Then, I realized that we never had a proper introduction. I nodded, as he stuck out his hand.

"Nice to finally meet you Shane," I said, as we shook hands.

"I'm gonna call you Lynnie," Shane declared, as I made a funny face. Nate looked at him like he was crazy, too.

"Why?" Nate asked. The lights flickered, as I moved more towards Nate. I wasn't sure if I needed him for comfort in the crazy storm, or if I just wanted to be near him. My brain didn't seem to be working right, and I couldn't think straight.

"Because it's my own nickname for her," Shane said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine," I simply said. I didn't mind. Though, I never really thought of myself as a Lynnie. Well, whatever a Lynnie would be like.

---

"I cannot play another round of Would You Rather," Mitchie said, as we played though our seventh round of Would You Rather. As well as, Never Have I Ever. Shane won, or lost. However you look at it. We also played I Spy With My Little Eye.

"Me either," I said, as my unconsciously played with Nate's curls. His head was resting in my lap, and it had been since we started playing Would You Rather. Shane and Mitchie were comfortably sitting against the wall, very close to each other.

"Give me," Nate said, sitting up, his arm stretched out towards the bathroom door. Shane got up, and gave him Mitchie's guitar that was resting there. He strummed a few notes as he tapped his foot loudly thumping on the floor, before breaking out into song.

"Broken hearts and last goodbyes; restless nights, but lullabies help make this pain go away. I realize I let you down, told you that I'd be around," Nate sang. Shane looked as surprised as I did. And, considering he was the 'lyrical genius', I was baffled as to where Nate had gotten this from.

"Building up the strength just to say: I'm sorry for breaking all the promises that I wasn't around to keep. You told me this time is the last time that I will ever beg you to stay, but you're already on your way," Nate sung, as he plucked the guitar chords. It was a beautiful melody, with powerful lyrics. It was perfect.

"Filled with sorrow, filled with pain knowing that I am to blame for leaving your heart out in the rain. And, I know you're going to walk away leave me with the price to pay," Nate continued singing, as his words got louder, almost screaming the lyrics. I shared a look with Mitchie. She looked utterly shocked; I let the lyrics sink in.

"Before you go I wanted to say: that I'm sorry for breaking all the promises that I wasn't around to keep. You told me this time is the last time I will ever beg you to stay, but you're already on your way," Nate sang, his words dropping from the screaming tone he was possessing before.

"I can't make it alive on my own, but if you have to go then, please girl, just leave me alone cause I don't wanna see you and me going our separate ways. Begging you to stay, if it isn't too late…" Nate sang, his voice reaching the screaming element he had before. But, his voice didn't get pitchy or off key. It was still in tune.

"I'm sorry for breaking all the promises that I wasn't around to keep. It's all on me, this time is the last time I will ever beg you to stay, but you're already on your way. But you're already on your way," Nate sang, his voice almost reaching a whisper. I bit my lower lip, until I felt like it was going to bleed.

"Wow," Was all that Shane said. The lights flickered one more time, as I scooted towards Nate.

"That was amazing," I said, as my eyes filled to the brim with tears. I was never one to get emotional. But, then again, I never had someone write a song for me.

"Don't cry Caite," Nate said, putting the guitar down and engulfing me in a hug. I wasn't sure what washed over me.

"You're forgiven," I whispered in Nate's ear. I could hear someone picking at the guitar strings, but I was too busy trying to stop the random tears to look.

"Good," Nate said, rubbing my back. I closed my eyes and just took in the moment.

"Sing this. Please," Shane whined, probably holding Mitchie's songbook. I know he was rifling through it before. Nate and I pulled apart a little, my tears dry. He placed a sweet kiss on my lips, before we turned our attention to Mitchie and Shane.

"But, Caitlyn wrote the lyrics," Mitchie said. My eyes widened as the words slipped out of Mitchie's mouth. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone that.

"Caitlyn writes songs?" Nate asked, seeming genuinely perplexed by the idea. I slowly nodded my head.

"I don't sing though," I firmly said. It was true. I didn't. I sounded like a dying cat. That's why I was better behind the scenes fixing the songs.

"But, she put the guitar chords and notes," Shane said, looking over Mitchie's shoulder. It was a simple song I had put together after seeing Nate during the campfire challenge thing.

"I see that," Mitchie said, pulling the book away from Shane's view. If I knew people, besides Mitchie and I, would be looking at that book, I would have torn the page out and threw it away.

"Words and arrangement from Caitlyn Gellar, as sung by Mitchie Torres," I said, knowing someway of another everyone would end up hearing it.

"Before I fall too fast. Kiss me quick, but make it last. So I can see how badly this will hurt me when you say good bye," Mitchie sang, plucking the simple guitar chords, as I buried my head into my pillow. It was my heart and soul. It was my darkest secrets. I didn't want Nate to hear this.

"Keep it sweet. Keep it slow. Let the future pass, and don't let go. But, tonight I could fall to soon under this beautiful moonlight," Mitchie sang, making the song sound wonderful and perfect. But, I wasn't ready for Nate to know what I was really thinking.

"But, you're so hypnotizing. You got me laughing while I sing. You got me smiling in my sleep. And, I can see this unraveling; your love is where I'm falling. But, please don't catch me," Mitchie sang. I could feel eyes on me, but I didn't pick my head up from the pillow. I do sing some songs, and I don't care how horrible I sound. Just to clarify for question time after.

"See this heart won't settle down, like a child running scared from a clown. I'm terrified of what you'll do; my stomach screams just when I look at you," Mitchie sang the words that I wrote, as she picked the guitar strings.

"Run far away, so I can breathe; even though you're far from suffocating me. I can't set my hopes to high 'cause every hello ends with a goodbye," Mitchie sang, as I felt Nate's hand rest on my back. His touch gave me instant goose bumps.

"But, you're so hypnotizing. You got me laughing while I sing. You got me smiling in my sleep. And, I can see this unraveling; your love is where I'm falling. But, please don't catch me," Mitchie simply sang, as I decided to sit up. But, I made it into some reaction where I instantly flew into Nate's chest.

"So now you see why I'm scared. I can't open up my heart without a care, but here I go: it's what I feel, and for the first time in my life I know its real," Mitchie sung, as Nate soothing rubbed my back. I didn't quite understand why I was so scared about these words being put into the open.

"But, you're so hypnotizing. You got me laughing while I sing. You got me smiling in my sleep. And, I can see this unraveling; your love is where I'm falling. But, please don't catch me," Mitchie sang, as one clap of thunder knocked the power out. I screamed, along with Mitchie. She put the guitar on the floor, and slid it somewhere.

"And if this is love. Please don't break me. I'm giving up. So just catch me," I finished off the lyrics that hadn't been sung by Mitchie. I was practically sitting on Nate's lap now, terrified of the howling wind, pounding rain, and the pitch black.

"I'll catch you. Promise," Nate's words dissolved in my hair. It was all too cliché for me to handle, but it was all I could take for now.

**Okay people. First of all: The two songs used in this chapter are Sorry (Jonas Brothers) and Catch Me (Demi Lovato). I DON'T OWN. Second: My cousin Kailee typed up the lyrics for me, and told me they were right. So, any errors are her fault.**

**More clichéd ideas. I think so. Don't fret though. They won't last long. I have ideas.**


	9. Good Morning!

**Alright, some more clichéd ideas. Then (hopefully you think) more original ones. Haha. It took me a while to figure out how to assemble this chapter. So, I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: Yea… I still don't own anything. It's a shame.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

I woke up with a heavy arm across my stomach. I rubbed my eyes, trying to wipe away the drowsiness, so I could focus. Why were Nate and Shane here? Oh. I remember. The stupid storm. Though, I probably shouldn't call it that. I mean, Nate and I did bear heart and soul to each other. But, I really could have done without the thunder and lightening and the pitch black. Everyone shortly fell asleep after the lights went out.

Mitchie was snuggled under the covers on her bed, and Shane was sleeping on the floor with one of Mitchie's blankets wrapped around him. He vaguely reminded me of a California Roll; a Shane Roll. I silently giggled. Nate was lying next to me, sleeping peacefully; one curl hanging in his face. I oh-so badly wanted to move it away from his forehead, but I didn't want to wake him.

Then, I focused on myself. My tummy growled, and I really had to pee. But, I didn't know what to do with Nate's arm. It was lying over my body. Could I move it, or would I wake him? I felt like I was going to burst. I guess that was a risk I was going to have to take.

I slipped his arm off of me, and he moved a bit. I got scared that I had woke him. I mean, the sun wasn't even out yet. I creeped over to the bathroom door, and flicked the light switch. It was dim, but glowing. I think Brown turned on the generator. I did my business, turned off the light, and padded across the floor. I grabbed the guitar lying on the floor by Shane's body. I grabbed it, and went to sit on Olivia's bed.

This fret with this finger, strum. This fret with these two fingers, strum, strum, strum. These two fret with these two fingers, strum times five. This fret with this finger, strum. Repeat. I played those notes until it flowed continuously. I was going to learn how to play one of my songs. I know which notes sound good together, and how they will harmonize with the voice, but I didn't know how to play. Here was my chance.

"She was given the world so much that she couldn't see. And, she needed someone to show her who she could be. And she tried to survive wearing her heart on her sleeve, but I needed you to believe," I silently sang, as I strummed the notes on the guitar.

Once, the sun had risen up, shining in the large window, I had perfected the guitar with the first part. I felt very accomplished. I put the guitar back on its stand by the bathroom door. I could feel it. Today was going to be a good day. I shuffled through my drawers, grabbing a neon green tank top and black jean Bermuda shorts. I changed in the bathroom.

"Morning," Shane said, yawning as he stood up from the floor. I smiled and waved to the poor kid. He stretched out, reminding me of my friend's cat. He stumbled into the bathroom, most likely half-asleep. I jumped onto Mitchie's bed.

"WAKE UP!" I shouted as I made impact with the soft cushion. She screamed, sitting up. Which jolted Nate awake. I smugly smiled. I had successfully woken up everyone in the cabin, with one simple shout. Mitchie was more of a morning person that Nate, so she was already awake, putting her bed back in order. Nate, however, lethargically moved from the bed to the floor.

"Morning sleepy head," I said to Nate, ruffling his curls, as he tried to shake the sleep away.

"Yup," Nate said, his eyes still closed. I put my lips onto his, and pulled away once he started to respond. He looked wide awake now.

"Come on. Let's get breakfast," I said, nearly bouncing to the cabin door. I took in the scenery of the cabin. Mitchie grabbed clothes and was in the bathroom. Shane was lying on Mitchie's bed, looking as if he was going to fall asleep again. Nate looked pretty awake, but still sluggish.

"I'm starved," Mitchie said, leaving the bathroom in some clean clothes. She went over, and got Shane up. I was already running out the door, dragging Nate behind me. I was surprised he didn't fall on his face, considering walking looked like such a chore for him.

"Slow down," Nate pleaded as we made our way to the cafeteria entrance. I made my run into a super fast walk. I did, technically, slow down. I saw Olivia and Cassidy sitting outside, eating, and chatting happily.

"Hey guys!" I said, waving towards them. They smiled and waved back. Nate and I went inside to get some food. I grabbed two waffles, some eggs, bowl of fruit, handful of Cheerios, and a glass of water. Nate had a piece of toast, and some granola mixed with blueberry yogurt. Icky.

"I'm gonna sit with you guys," Nate declared, seeing as all of the other girls were staring. He's mine. They all better back off.

"Hey Nate, Caitlyn," Cassidy said, scooting closer to Olivia to make room for us.

"Hungry much?" Olivia asked me, a smile on her face. I flushed. Suddenly, I felt very self-conscious of all of the food I had grabbed. I looked at Nate's nearly empty tray.

"Yes. But, I saw how little Nate took, and he needs more food than that," I said, realizing how matronly I sounded. I mentally slapped myself.

"Okay," Cassidy said wearily before, rubbing her apple on her shirt, "How was your night?"

"Crazy," I said, as she took a huge bite. Nate was looking like he could fall asleep in his granola and yogurt mess. I could just picture his curls covered in blueberry yogurt, with little pieces of granola sticking there. I laughed.

"– and, I thought you and Mitchie would be in the forest," Olivia finished off saying, though I was too busy thinking about Nate to really focus. I just nodded before stuffing my face with eggs. I didn't have to talk if I had a mouthful. Shane and Mitchie sat down at our table, too.

"Morning," Mitchie said, her perky smiling showing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Olivia staring seductively at Nate. My Nate. I went to kick her under the table.

"Ow!" Nate exclaimed. I looked at my tray, and ate some more eggs. Shane silently snickered.

"Well, we're gonna put our plates away, and hopefully squeeze in a shower before class," Cassidy said, as her and Olivia stood up. I shot an apologetic look at Nate, but he was too busy trying to keep his eyes open.

"Nathaniel Gray," I softly whispered. He didn't pay attention, so I quickly checked under the table before rubbing my foot against his leg, "Wake up."

"Nate, Caitlyn is telling you to stay awake!" Shane screamed at Nate, leaving everyone on the outside pavilion to stare. I ate some waffles this time. I passed my Cheerios to Nate.

"I am awake," Nate said, sounding as if he had just been woken up. I inwardly groaned. Was he always like this in the morning?

"You almost had yogurt and granola in your hair," I said, almost laughing. Mitchie ate her food in silence. Was she okay? I shot her a questioning glance. She shrugged her shoulders, and rolled her eyes in the direction of Shane.

"I did not," Nate said, smiling. He took some Cheerios in his hand, and popped them into his mouth.

"You did Mr. Sleepy Head," I said, eating a piece of kiwi. After I chewed and swallowed, I continued with, "Are we still skipping today?"

Nate simply nodded, seeming as if he was going to fall back asleep. I rolled my eyes. Shane and Mitchie were sitting with some kind of awkward tension between them. They were fine last night, this morning, last year. What happened?

"Hey Shane. Why don't you take Nate back to your cabin? You can shower, he can nap," I said, as Shane nodded. He gathered up all of our plates, along with dragging Nate with him inside.

"So…" Mitchie said, as we both got up from our table. We walked down the steps, and by the small man-made pond.

"What's with you and Shane?" I blurted out. I meant to beat around the bush a little, maybe wait till we got back to the cabin first. Mitchie turned down one path, that lead us to our cabin, the long way. It was relatively unused since it wound through a small overgrowth of trees, and nothing of importance was down it. Which made it ideal for secret sharing.

"We were fine all yesterday," Mitchie stated the obvious, "Then, I wasn't sure where we stood."

"Ouch. Did you talk to him?" I asked, knowing first hand those kind of situations, and how they were atrocious. I felt her pain.

"Well, I wanted to, but I wasn't sure what to say. I was so used to being asked out, then kissing, then maybe falling asleep together," Mitchie simply said, before panic rose in her voice, "This is all backwards. I don't know what to do."

"Talk to him. Right away. Or else it will be all miscommunications, and it'll get worse," I said, knowing how I fixed it with Nate after the second breakup. I knew, keeping him around wasn't healthy, but I needed him.

"I will. Today after class," Mitchie said, seeming her usual calm demeanor, "Speaking of. Skipping with Nate? Oh la la."

"Shut up. It's not like that," I said, playfully hitting her. We both burst into giggles.

"Sure it's not," Mitchie said, raising her eyebrow. She probably thought him and I were going to do some naughty and unspeakable things. Yea right. If anything we'd kiss, and talk. I planned on doing a lot of talking. There was a lot I had to figure out with him.

**Less clichéd than the previous chapters? I hope so. I also hope this chapter was up to everyone's standard. I have the next chapter all planned out, and I am super excited for it. Until then, want to leave a review with your thoughts for me? Please? Haha.**


	10. Crying Underwater

**I'm so, so sorry it took me forever to get this up. Soccer was just a mess. Then, I had Junior amounts of homework / prepping for SATs, friends, boys, and dance classes. I barely had time to sleep; let alone update a story. Nevertheless, I am here now. But, I PROMISE to update this story **_**at least**_** once a week. Maybe more if I have some time. Please understand that updates can't be like every other day. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I've been wishing at 11:11, but nothing so far. I'll keep my fingers crossed.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"Hey Nate," I said, my feet hanging off the dock; I had been sitting here since I gave Mitchie that advice. He walked over and sat next to me. I made a note that he seemed to be in a less sleepy state.

"Hey Cait," Nate said, smiling. His hand was now gently resting on mine. The sun was shining on my face, offering me the comfort of summer, warming me up. But, no matter how bright the sun was, I could still see some fog around the trees. It was a perfect midmorning.

"Let's do something," I said, standing up on the dock. Nate followed in suit. We walked off the dock, hand-in-hand. Nate waved over towards a silhouette that seemed to building a birdhouse. As we got closer, I realized it was Jason.

"Hey Jase. Any chance we could take out a boat?" Nate asked, as Jason's intense concentration on the birdhouse was broken. He nodded.

"Yup. Just over there, you have to talk to the guy in the booth to rent a boat," Jason said pointing to some small building. It looked like an old outhouse or something. I secretly wondered how the storm last night didn't topple the frail shack.

"Okay. Thanks," Nate said, as the two of us started out adventure towards the faded gray building. All of a sudden, someone ran right past us, moving my hair across my face.

"Hello, what can I do for you today?" Jason asked, taking a deep breath in between each word. He was winded from his short sprint over here.

"A rowboat," Nate said, as Jason handed him the paper to sign, not saying a word. We had to sign to show that we really used one. Just in case, they were missing a boat, they knew who was missing. Also, vandalism.

"Thanks. I'll help you get started," Jason said, still taking breaths between his words, but they weren't as deep. He pointed to the lifejackets, as Nate and I put them on. Jason checked to make sure we had buckled everything, and zippered this, and tied this, don't forget this buckle.

"I can push the boat out Jase," Nate offered, seeing as Jason was having a little bit of trouble getting the boat to the water. Jason moved over, and took Nate up on his offer. Nate pushed it into the water, as I hopped in. Jason gave us a final push into the lake.

"Thank you," I shouted back to Jason. He waved us farewell, as Nate and I grabbed the paddles.

"I've never done this before," Nate confided in me. I rolled my eyes, laughing, and showed him how to paddle. But, I forgot that he had to do the opposite of me. We started turning circles.

"I'm not too good either," I said, as Nate chuckled. I gave up, seeing as we were far enough away to not have crazy eavesdroppers or something.

"I couldn't tell," Nate sarcastically said, throwing a wink in my direction. It made me blush a little. Then, he put his hand on my knee. The butterflies in my tummy emerged, swirling around. I was with him nearly all yesterday, and I still felt like a schoolgirl with her first crush. I was pathetic.

"Didn't you notice the lovely circles?" I asked, still feeling kind of giddy. His hand was still on my knee after all. One simple touch and I was gone.

"We still got out here, most of it was you," Nate said, making me feel like I was perfect, special. He did say he would catch me.

"It takes two people to paddle it out this far though," I said, trying to get the spotlight off of me. Sure I liked feeling important, but this was a tad ridiculous. He was almost putting me on a pedestal. I was no princess.

"Very true," Nate said, as an awkward silence fell. This could be the perfect time to talk, but I wasn't ready to see how everything turned out. I just wanted it to be nice and peaceful for a while.

I moved to sit in the bottom of the boat. I didn't care that there was some sand; it just looked more comfortable. Nate soon joined me, on the bottom. It was a little squishy, but manageable. I wonder if anyone else had sat on the bottom of their boat, or if they stayed on those planks they call seats. Either way, Nate's hand was soon tangled in mine.

"Are we together or what?" I softly asked, not looking up from my lap. I was taking the advice I told Mitchie. If I was going to make her ask Shane what was up, there was no reason I couldn't figure it out.

"What?" Nate said, obviously not hearing me. His brown eyes were staring into mine, and his curls had sunlight bouncing off of them. He looked far too cute for me to ask something like that.

"I said, you look adorable today," I faked, as I smiled. It was true. I could see his ears tingeing pink.

"Thanks," Nate said, running his free hand through his before thought of chocolate curls. His other hand was resting with mine in it.

"You're welcome," I said, pushing the curl that was hanging in his face while he was sleeping, away from his face. It bounced right back into place. I giggled.

Nate leaned forward, slightly rocking the boat, as his lips hit mine. The water below us obviously wasn't ready for movement from the boat. Nate and I had a long, passionate kiss. When we separated, and Nate sat back where he was, the boat stopped rocking. I felt relieved knowing we weren't going to tip over anytime soon.

"What was that?" I said, clearly astonished. I wasn't sure what else I could say about it. I certainly wasn't expecting anything like that.

"A kiss," Nate said, though his voice rose at the end, making it sound like a question. I wasn't sure how to take this.

"Are you going to ask me out, or what?" I blurted out, feeling a little frustrated. I didn't mean for it to come out so sudden, so angry. I leaned my head back, staring at the sky instead of Nate's beautiful face.

"I wasn't planning on it," Nate said at the truth came out. I felt broken, lied to. I could feel something bubbling up inside of me.

"Why not?" I exasperatedly asked. Then, I realized his hand was still intertwined with his, and the grip was strong.

"Because I want you to move on. I'm not good for you," Nate lamely said. I pulled my hand away from his, and sat back on the bench thing. I hated him. He was acting so bipolar.

"I thought we were getting back together, or something," I said, not focusing on Nate. I knew seeing his face and I would either explode with fury, or breakdown crying. Either way, it wasn't what I wanted to do. I needed to act rational, sane around him.

"Why would you think that?" Nate asked, sounding as angry as I was before. I wanted to turn my brain off. It never worked out for me when I did think.

"Because we spent all that time together; we kissed, we skipped today, we slept together," I said, listing off what I thought was going to be perfect. I can't believe I had been blindsighted. I ultimately got hurt from him…again. I should have been expecting this.

"I'm not sure what I want yet. Plus, this would end up just being a summer fling," Nate said, contorting his face at the end. He wanted to be just friends. That was great. Just dandy.

"You're telling me that you don't think we could make this last through school?" I asked, as tears threatened to fall over the brim of my eyes. He looked at me as if I was crazy.

"I don't. We tried last year…" Nate grimly said, drift off towards the end. Why did I let him get under my skin?

"Well, I'll be going then Nathaniel," I said, standing up. The boat rocked a bit, but I didn't care. I dove into the water.

"Caitlyn!" Nate yelled as I broke the water surface tension. I swam towards the shore. It was the day I found out that you can, indeed, cry underwater. I started to walk onto the beach, looking out at Nate one last time. He didn't know how to handle a rowboat, with two paddles, all by himself. Whatever. I could care less. I moved my lake wet hair out of my face, and gave my lifejacket back to Jason.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Jason asked, as I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my cheeks, "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really," I blubbered, reaching an all time low for me, "Sorry."

"Okay. Well, I'll be here if you need anything," Jason comfortingly said. I couldn't help, but wonder how such a seemingly clueless guy could be so caring. I ran off towards my cabin, pretending my soaked clothes didn't weight me down.

I got to my cabin, slammed the front door, and went in the bathroom. I stripped my wet clothes, and jumped in the shower. I made the water as hot as I could bear it. The hot drops felt soothing on my cool skin. Steam quickly filled the room, offering more company that I would ever have alone in the cabin.

I finished off my shower, with standing in the cloudy steam, just thinking about how I despised Nate for everything that had happened. I let out an angry scream, that sounded like some kind of wild banshee mating call. I wrapped a towel around me, grabbed some clothes, and changed. Then, I laid on my bed, letting the eerie silence take me in. I was only permitted to skip one class, but I was ready to lay here, let all of my emotions go, and skip all day. What did I have to lose?

**Any thoughts on this chapter just press the little green button. It doesn't bite. Thanks.**


	11. Cutting Lyrics and Sweet Saviors

**A timely update, would you look at that. I loved all of the reviews. You are all amazing.**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Nada. Zilch. Sorry.**

**CAILTYN'S POV**

"Cait, where were you today?" Mitchie asked, wakening me. I opened my eyes, and realized that what I wished had never happen, actually did. There were tears soaked into my pillow. I wanted to die.

Nate and I were skipping together. We were perfect on the lake. He kissed me. I asked him if he was going to ask me out. He said nope. I ran off. I took a hot shower, and decided classes weren't important. I lay in bed to shake off what had happened. I guess I fell asleep. I hoped it was all a dream.

"Are you okay?" Mitchie asked, sitting on the edge of my bed. I shook my head, as tears were brimming my eyes. The salt stung my eyes.

"Brown told me to get you guys for the next campfire game," Olivia said, as she poked her head in the door. I moaned as the door slammed shut. Mitchie rocked me.

"Campfire game. Come on," Mitchie said, as I slowly got up. I was dressed in my comfy pajamas. I grabbed skinny jeans and a green t-shirt before stumbling into the bathroom. I felt crummy.

"What is the campfire thing today?" I asked through the paper thin walls, as I changed. I heard the front door squeak open.

"I'm not sure," Mitchie said, as I was dressed. I walked out of the bathroom, slipped my feet into flip flops, and followed Mitchie out.

"I hate my group," I muttered, as we walked along the path to the lake. It was still pretty light out, but I could see the fire flickering on the serene lake water.

"Just accept it," Mitchie said with a smile, and a wink. She didn't know about Nate. She didn't know about earlier today. I wanted to shrivel up and die. Olivia waved from where she was sitting with Tess and Nate. Just seeing Nate made my heart ache.

"See you later. Good luck," I said, giving Mitchie a hug. She walked off towards Shane, while I went towards two snobby girls, and some retarded boy.

"Hey Caitlyn," Olivia said, standing up, giving me a hug. Brown cleared his throat, and all of the random chatter stopped.

"For this campfire challenge, it isn't really a challenge. It's a way to get to know everyone better," Brown said, as Dee stepped alongside of him. I glared at Nate. I knew him all too well.

"You will all pick a verse, a few lines, the chorus of a song. You can speak it, sing it, rap it, whatever to everyone," Dee said, a smile bursting on her face. I didn't want to do this. I was usually a pretty happy person. If they made me go right now, it would be a little more than depressing.

"Take a few moments to think of a song, make up a song, that expresses who you are, or your feelings at the moment," Brown ended, as the chatter rose again. People were thinking of what to say. I shot Mitchie a sad, help-me glance. She returned it with a smile. I rolled my eyes. I would make up my own little verse.

---

Jason: The flower said I wish I was a tree. The tree said I wish I could be a different kind of tree. The cat wished that it was a bee. The turtle wished that it could fly really high into the sky over rooftops, and then five deep into the sea. And, in the sea there is a fish; a fish that has a secret wish to be a big cactus with a pink flower on it. And the flower would be its offering of love to the desert. And the desert, so dry and lonely, that the creatures all appreciate the effort.

Barron: Forgive me if I seem forward, but I've never been in front of anything like you. It's the last place I thought I'd be when I woke up this morning. Is it true that you're always this breathtaking? And you're smart, and you're willing; my god, this is killing me. You're starting to see right through me, and I'm loving every minute of it. It's like I'm born again every time I breathe in. So if you're curious, my favorite color's blue, and I like to sing in the shower, and if you like I'll sing to you.

Ella: Jenny screams out, and it's no pose cause when she dances she goes and goes. Coke through the nose on an inside joke; and, I'm so excited I haven't spoke yet. And she's so pretty and she's so sure, maybe I'm more clever than a girl like her. Summer's all in bloom. It's alright, and it's nice not to be so alone. But, I hold onto your secrets in white houses. Maybe I'm a little bit over my head, I come undone at the things he says, and he's so funny in his bright red shirt.

Lola: I don't know, but I think I maybe falling for you, dropping so quickly. Maybe, I should keep this to myself waiting till I know you better. I am trying not to tell you, but I want to; scared of what you'll say. So, I'm hiding what I'm feeling. But, I'm tired of holding this inside my head.

Shane: Even when you're gone somehow you come along, just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack, and just like that you steal away the rain. And just like that, you make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head, spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night. You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee. Just the thought of you can drive me wild. Oh, you make me smile.

Mitchie: I see you make your way through the crowd, and say hello, little did I know that you were Romeo. You were throwing pebbles, and my daddy said stay away from Juliet. I was crying on the staircase, begging you please don't go. And, I said: Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run. You'll be the prince, and I'll be the princess. It's a love story, baby, just say yes.

Sander: Breathe in for luck. Breathe in so deep. This air is blessed, you share with me. This night is wild, so calm and dull. These hearts they race from self-control. Your legs are smooth as they graze mine. We're doing fine; we're doing nothing at all. My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me; so won't you kill me, so I die happy. My heart is yours to fill or burst, to break or bury, or wear as jewelry…whichever you prefer.

Peggy: I can't believe you made, me sit at home and cry like a baby; wait right by the phone every night. And, now you ask about you and I. There's no you and I. Remember what you put me through? I had to wake up and smell the break-up, fix my heart and put on my make-up. Another mess I didn't plan. And I'll bet you thought you beat me, wish you could only see I got an "I heart question mark" written on the back of my hand!

Olivia: Get to the camp in my limo; everybody's looking at me now. Like "Who's that girl that's rocking heels, she's gotta be from out of town." So hard with my girls not around me; it's definitely not a LA party cause all I see are sneakers. I guess I never got the memo. My tummy's turning and I'm feeling kinda homesick. Too much pressure and I'm nervous.

Tess: Cause I'm too cool. Yea, I'm too cool to know you. Don't take it personal. Don't get emotional. You know it's the truth. I'm too cool for you. You think you're hot, but I'm sorry, you're not exactly who you think you are. Can't tell you what you haven't got, when we walk in the room. I'm too cool for you.

I had my mind set on being last. I remember what everyone sang, yes sang, not one person said some lyrics. They all sounded beautiful, and perfect. I didn't want to sing. I couldn't sing. Though, Mitchie told me I was an amazing singer when I was passionate about what I was singing. I shouldn't be half-bad then. Everyone was looking towards me and Nate. The last two to go.

"Caitlyn," Brown decided who was going. I cleared my throat, and stood up. All eyes were on me. I glared down at Nate. I felt powerful from up here. He couldn't hurt me. I cleared my throat, focusing on the setting sun behind the trees, and the fire flickering on the water.

"I throw all of your stuff away. Then, I clear you from my head; I tear you out of my heart, and ignore all your messages. I tell everyone we are through cause I'm so much better without you. But, it's just another pretty lie cause I breakdown every time you come around," I sang, trying not to focus on how much Nate hurt me. I was not going to cry.

"Nate's turn," Dee said, as I sat in the sand, and Nate stood up. He radiated confidence. I hated him for that. Also, the way he grabbed everyone's attention. Why did I ever think someone like him could be totally into someone like me?

"I never meant to hurt you, and how I tried. Oh, how I tried. I could never give you what you deserved; another man would surely learn. I know these words, they only serve to twist the knife, but I will try to make them heard. Maybe it's better now I've gone away, maybe it's not. Oh, who can say. And through it's hard for me to say, I know you're better off this way," Nate sang, staring at me. I tried to shake off his gaze.

"Wow," I heard Olivia mutter. I got a bit enraged with Nate's stupid song. I stood up.

"So how did you get here under my skin, swore that I'd never let you back in. Should've known better than trying to let you go cause here we go, go, go again. Hard as I try I know I can't quite; something about you is so addictive. We're falling apart. You think that by know I know cause here we go, go, go again," I sang, letting all emotion go. Everyone was awkwardly gawking at Nate and I. He dropped his glance to the ground, as I forced back tears.

"And when I told her I didn't love her anymore, she cried. And when I told her, her kisses were not like before, she cried. And when I told her another girl caught my eye, she cried. And I kissed her, with a kiss that could only mean goodbye. And thought it's hard for me to say, maybe you're better off this way," Nate sang, as his words echoed in my head. Love. Kisses. Another girl. Goodbye. Cried.

"Hey boy, I would have thought that when you left me, I'd be broken with my confidence gone, so gone. Hey boy, I would have thought that when you said you don't want me anymore, I'd feel ugly, and sense something was wrong. Standing in front of the mirror, my skins never been clearer, my smiles never been brighter. I look so good without you. Done with your lies, baby, now my tears dry. You can see my brown eyes ever since you said goodbye. I look so good without you. I look so good," I sang. With that said, I ran off towards my cabin, my vision blurred my tears. They were coming on hard. At least I held them off till I was done.

I ran all the way past my cabin, all the way to where the dock to the lake was. The moon was shining so bright, so surreal. It was sort of soothing to my shaking shoulders. I ran to the end of the dock, and then I didn't know where to go. I paced up and down the dock a few times before I heard someone heavily breathing. I was ready to dash off. I didn't want anyone to see me crying like this. My eyes were probably red and puffy. I knew I had some makeup running down my face. I could barely breathe.

"Caitlyn?" A male voice asked. He was taking deep breaths, obviously a little winded from racing after me. The voice was too deep to be Nate's. I took comfort in that fact. I closed my eyes, tears still seeping out, and tried to stop all thoughts. I tried to remember how to breathe.

The guy was walking on the dock. I heard his careful footsteps coming closer and closer. I listen to his rhythmic breaths, taking in huge gulps of air. I didn't let myself open my eyes. I didn't let myself think. I didn't let Nate into my mind. I tried to keep my composure. Arms engulfed me in a hug. He was taller. I just stood there, and let him hug me. I put my head into his chest. A hand smoothed my hair.

"It'll be okay," He said, as I listened to his heart beat. I allowed myself to open my eyes. It just felt comforting. I wrapped my arms around his waist.

The owl who-ing, the moonlight shimmering on the lake, the water lapping on the dock stilts, his heartbeat, my back being rubbed, the crickets making their noise. All of it seemed to soothe me. The tears slowly stopped cascading down my face. It seemed like we were embracing for hours. I didn't want to let go. I felt safe here. Nothing could hurt me.

"Are you okay now Caitlyn?" He asked, letting go of me. I felt cold without his body pressed to mine. He took a step back. In the moonlight, I realized it was Jason. The clueless dude was surprisingly comforting and protecting.

"Better than I was," I softly said, kicking the dock with my converse.

"Brown told me to make sure you were okay. And, he wanted me to tell you that you are a really gifted lyricist," Jason said, as I stumbled into him. I wanted to feel safe. I shivered. He held me.

"Thanks," I said, "You're like the big brother I never had."

"I'll tell Brown. And, thank you. I just want to make people happy," Jason said, and I could almost see his ridiculous smile, "Well, I have to get you back to your cabin, lil sis. Mitchie seemed very concerned."

"Okay," I said, frowning upon the thought of going back, "Let's go big bro."

"That's the Caitlyn people should know," Jason said, referring to my smile. We walked off the dock and onto the sand.

"I know," I said, laughing as we walked onto the path that led straight to my cabin.

"Since I am your official new big brother, you can come to me anytime, with any problem. I can just listen, if you'd like," Jason said, a meek smile on his face.

"Thanks. Can you just hold me, and we don't say a word?" I softly asked. I didn't want to seem into him. I was far from it. He just made me feel protected.

"Like just before?" Jason stupidly asked. I fought back a smile.

"Yes," I said, before I rapidly added, "You make me feel safe."

"Then of course," Jason said, as we reached the bottom of the steps to my cabin. Jason gave me a short hug.

"Thank you so much brother," I sincerely said. If it weren't for him following me, I would probably be somewhere among the trees crying my eyes out.

"Anytime little sister," Jason said, as I started to climb up the steps, and he walked off into the dense forest.

**All of the lyrics used in this chapter, aren't mine. If you'd like to know what lyric is from what song, just leave it in a review or PM. I'll be sure to get around to telling you. I'm sure just Google-ing it would work too. Whichever floats your boat.  
I know this chapter isn't that great, but I really wanted Jason / Caitlyn to have a brother-sister relationship. Leave your input with what you thought about this chapter. Please and thank you.**


	12. Beat Him Up?

**Thanks for the three reviews. You three are my heroes. You inspired me to keep on writing. I know it's a short-ish chapter, but I needed something for those three. So, a cookie for them.**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing, sorry.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"Are you okay?"

"What happened back there?"

"He's a jerk."

"You were so brave."

"You deserve better."

"Did Jason find you?"

"Why are you blushing?"

"Do you need a hug?"

"How about some sleep?"

"Maybe some water?"

"Do you need a shower?"

"Are you okay?"

"Were you crying?"

"What happened?"

"He's an ass."

"You can do better."

"It's okay."

"He can't ever hurt you again."

"SHUT UP!"

I was bombarded with questions, and statements, once I entered my cabin. I know Mitchie and Olivia mean well, but they needed to shut up. I needed to think. I needed to absorb everything that just happened. It was all so fast.

Mitchie awkwardly sat on her bed, and Olivia shuffled through her drawers. Silence. Nate and I had some epic sing-off. I ran off crying. He hurt me. I don't need him. Jason caught me on the dock. He made me better. My big brother. My protector. Was I okay? I wasn't sure. I wasn't crying. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't sad either. I was a bit content. I would love a hug, then a hot shower, and some sleep. I let out a long breath.

"One thing at a time," I said, as I got my thoughts sorted out. Mitchie and Olivia shared a glance.

"Are you okay?" Mitchie asked, not getting up. She looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm not sure," I said, sighing, "Next."

"Do you want the first shower?" Olivia queried, as she leafed through some notebook lying on top of her dresser.

"Do any of you object?" I asked. Both of them shook their heads no. "I guess I'll take it."

"What happened back there?" Mitchie let out. I went to my bed, and grabbed my towel. I rolled my eyes. Couldn't this be the one question they didn't ask?

"I cried. Jason comforted me. I came back here," I said shortly. I wasn't in the mood to give a play-by-play of what happened earlier. I wasn't in the mood to even think about what happened today. I wanted it all to disappear. I wanted to forget abut all of it.

"Why were you crying?" Mitchie asked, obviously confused. I grabbed my pajamas and laid them on my towel. It all clicked. I never told anyone what happened earlier.

"I'll explain after my shower. It's a really long story," I said, praying that Olivia would be in the shower by then. And, I could cry on Mitchie's shoulder. I hoped I could only tell Mitchie.

---

"I'm gonna kill him," Mitchie said after I finished my lengthy tale. There is a God because Olivia was in the shower for the duration of the entire story. I did get a bit teary eyed, but I figured I was stronger than that.

"Don't," I meekly whispered. Mitchie shot me a concerned look. I shook it off, and leaned back on her pillows.

"He's just so…" Mitchie drifted off before making some wild animal scream. She was frustrated with him. I was too.

"I thought this time would be different. I thought wrong," I said, running my hands through my hair. I didn't know what to do anymore. I didn't want to be here anymore. I didn't want to see his face anymore.

"It's okay. Shane will get him into shape," Mitchie said, before grabbing the little phone off the wall. We got these new things. The phones are hooked up to the wall, and you can call any cabin in the camp. But, outside calls had to be made from the special phones in the office.

I knew who Mitchie was dialing. I hoped she didn't do anything stupid. I heard the shower turn off. I heard the dial tone for the phone. He picked up, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I only heard Mitchie's side.

"Hey Shane."

"Your brother is a fruit cup."

"Yes, a fruit cup."

"Because… Did you hear what he did to Caitlyn?"

"Well, ask him. It'll be exciting."

"Of course I'll hold."

I can't believe she was calling Shane. The bathroom door opened. Out stepped Olivia, with the steam. It felt warm, inviting. She bounced onto her bed, but not before looking oddly at us. We meant to include Olivia, but this was different. This was boy problems. This was old. This was deep. This was personal.

"That's not what she told me. It's worse than what."

"Beat him up?"

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you the entire story tomorrow. You might want to hurt him."

"Shane wants me to tell you: Hi Lynnie," Mitchie played secretary. I half-heartedly laughed. I could understand why Mitchie fell for him. He's a sweet kid when he's not acting like Hollywood.

"Tell him, I say: Hi Shane," I said, smiling. At least one boy didn't hate my entire existence. Granted that one boy had a girl friend, who was my best friend. He still cared enough. It counted in my book.

"He laughed," Mitchie voiced in for my sake. I rolled my eyes. She looked at me, before relaying more info, "Jason said he would beat up Nate."

"OhLaLa," Olivia said. I felt the urge to smack her. It wasn't like that. She was a fruit cup.

"Tell him: I would love it if my _big brother_," I pronounced 'big brother' louder and prouder so maybe Olivia would get it, "did that."

"Shane wants to know the entire story," Mitchie said. I held out my hand for the phone.

"Give me. You go shower," I told Mitchie. She placed the phone in my hand, before grabbing it back.

"Shaney, I'm gonna give Caitlyn the phone. Okay? Night night. See you tomorrow," Mitchie sweetly said, before tingeing pink. She put the phone in my hand.

"Shane?" I asked, as soon as Mitchie was in the bathroom. I'm not sure why I waited, but I did. And, I knew he didn't hang up because I could hear him breathing from the other end of the line.

"Lynnie," Shane excitedly said. I remember the night when he gave me that nickname. The night Nate stayed over. The night we fell asleep in each other's arms. The night we sang to each other. The night he promised to catch me. I realized I was starting to do those pre-crying shaky breaths. Shane must have noticed too, "Are you okay?"

"Nate's an ass," I angrily said, replacing my sadness. Shane sort of laughed. Well, it sounded like a half-laugh. Like he wanted to laugh, but wasn't sure if he should.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" Shane asked. I really didn't want to explain what happened again, especially with Olivia right there, but I had to. I needed someone to hurt Nate. I needed someone else to understand.

"Nate and I skipped class today, like we were allowed. He pretty much told me he didn't care about me. I left the boat. I cried. I skipped all of my classes. During our stupid campfire thing, what he sang tore me up. I tried to retaliate, but in the end, I ran off crying. Jason followed me. He soothed me. And, here we are," I shortly explained. I knew it wasn't the details, but who needed those.

"Wow." That was all Shane said. He let out a long breath.

"Yea." I agreed. Wow. I didn't know what else to say to that. Wow was right. Wow, what an ass. Wow, what a day. Wow, I feel bad for you. Wow, you need a hug. Wow.

"I might just beat him up," Shane said, as I smiled. He cared. Someone cared. Two people cared. Nate's too brothers cared for me.

"You and Jason. Double team. Gang up on him," I said, toying with the idea of Jason and Shane cornering Nate, before beating him up for me. But, I couldn't picture Nate being beat up. I still cared about him. Against my better judgment, I still did.

"Don't worry Lynnie, we will have a nice talk with him," Shane said, sounding like a little kid. I laughed.

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna get some sleep. I'll need my rest to tackle tomorrow," I said, almost shuddering at the idea of sharing a room with Nate for the entire morning. I just hoped his minor wouldn't be dance.

"That's a good idea," Shane said. Mitchie wouldn't be out of the shower for another ten minutes. I wasn't going to wait around with the phone for her. Plus, they already said goodnight to each other.

"I know. So, night Shane," I said, getting up, so I could put the phone back on its cradle.

"Night Lynnie. Best of luck with tomorrow," Shane said, right before I placed the phone back on the wall.

"I'll need it," I whispered to the wall.

**Whoo! Chapter twelve. I cannot believe it. This story is moving right on by. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	13. Recording Dances

**Hello wonderful readers. Here's another chapter. Yay!**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned, but I don't. Deal with it.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

I slowly trudged to the Mac lab. I did not need to see Nate's perfect little face all morning, and half of the afternoon. I didn't need it. I didn't want it. How could I possibly get over him when I see him everywhere? I could see him all over camp, during those campfire things, in class. I could smell him. I could hear his voice. I could feel his hand intertwined with mine, and his curls tangled in my fingers. I could taste his lips on mine. It was all too surreal. It was all too crazy. I needed to rid him from my body, my mind, my memory.

"Hey Caitlyn," Cassidy said, waving from the other side of the path towards the Mac lab. I waved back. I wasn't in a waving mood, but I didn't want to reject her. She was my lifeline in the class.

"Hey," I said, as she got closer to me. She held the Mac door open for me. I walked into the lavish air conditioned building. I knew checking up with Rupert would be the smart thing, but I just let it go. I didn't care anymore. I sat in my seat.

"Alright. Nate will be teaching a quick lesson on over processing voices," Rupert said, before he caught my eye. He waved me over to the side, as Nate took the front of the room. Poor kid.

"Hello," I tried to perkily say. Nate was saying something about some Alexis Texas girl. I rolled my eyes.

"What happened to you yesterday?" Rupert asked. I knew what he meant, but my eyes flickered to Nate. I wanted to go back to my cabin. I wanted to go home. I wanted to switch majors.

"I wasn't feeling too well. Sorry," I tried to sincerely say. Rupert shot me an understanding glance. Nate was babbling about how an overproduced voice sounds fake, and like cookie cutter pop stuff.

"It's okay. We didn't do much yesterday. It was just a review of basic producing skills. You can ask Nate or Cassidy for pointers on the lesson," Rupert said, as Nate's name stabbed at my heart, "We also picked minors. Any ideas?"

"Dance," I said with confidence. I loved to dance. Hip-hop, that is. Any other kind of dance I couldn't do. I excelled at hip-hop. I loved hip-hop.

"Okay. Now, get back to learning with Nate," Rupert said, as a small frown appeared on my face.

"Sounds good," I said, going back to my Mac. It was on, like everyone else's. I turned down the brightness. I opened the Mac Notepad, or whatever it was called. I only liked the Mac's because they have GarageBand. Otherwise, I was a PC.

_I watch the night turn light blue, but it's not the same without you 'cause it takes two to whisper quietly. The silence isn't so bad, till I look at my hands and feel sad; 'cause the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly. I'll find opposing new ways, though I haven't slept in two days 'cause cold nostalgia chills me to the bone. But, drenched in vanilla twilight. I'll sit on the front porch all night, waist deep in thought because when I think of you... I don't feel so alone._

That's what I came up with during Nate's lesson…If you could call it a lesson. He talked about how Alexis Texas sucks, and you need to make sure editing sounds natural. Duh. Everyone knows that. It was a waste of a half an hour. I could have been learning something. However, I enjoyed what I came up with. It was simple, perfect lyrics.

"Now, you will need to record someone singing an original song, and make it sound CD ready," Nate finished off his speech. A simple assignment. Well, simple enough for me. I was Mitchie. She was a singing machine. And, I was a lyric writing machine. I could easily get this done. All I needed was Mitchie.

"One twist," Rupert added, as Nate took his seat near me. I rolled my eyes. Rupert ignored the moans, "You will need someone of the opposite gender to record."

Shit. I didn't have any close guy friends. I highly doubted Jason could come up with, and sing a song. I mean, Shane was the lyricist, but Nate was the singer. It was like Mitchie and me. They were perfect together. We are perfect together. I think I could get Mitchie, to get Shane to do it. But, he would write some lovey dovey thing about Mitchie. Gag worthy. I didn't need it.

"I wasn't done yet," Rupert said, as I joined in with the chorus of moans this time, "It has to be someone from this class."

Kill me now. I could feel someone boring their eyes into the side of my head. I ignored it. Everyone was already pairing up, and I could still feel those eyes on me. I just sat there, my head down, waiting for a guy to ask me. Rupert walked up to me.

"You're the odd one out. No more guys for you," Rupert said, as I had an internal party, but I could still feel the eyes on me, "And, I was hoping I wouldn't have to use Nate. But, you two are the only two left."

I wanted to scream an overdramatic NOOOOOOOOOO! It was my worst nightmare. I whipped my head to where the eyes were. It was Nate. He looked remorseful. I wanted to slap him. I could slap him. I would slap him. This was ridiculous. Nate rolled his chair over to me.

"Caite, I'm sorry," Nate said, as Rupert walked off, checking the other pairs. I slapped Nate across the face. It made a good slapping sound, and I was pretty sure he would have a hand print on his face. Some people looked, but they didn't question it. I'm sure the story of the campfire yesterday made it around.

"You're not sorry," I spat, as Rupert got our attention in the front off the room.

"You will need to have completed lyrics by the end of today's lesson, right before your minor," Rupert said, as I eyed the clock. I still had two hours until lunch, then an hour before minors. Three hours to come up with lyrics. I was in the zone. I needed ten minutes, tops.

"Are you gonna use those?" Nate asked, pointing to my screen. My personal lyrics, and feelings, towards him. I slapped his outstretched hand.

"Dammit, Nathaniel. We are doing this project, and nothing else," I nearly growled. I was holding hostility towards his again. He deserved it.

"Violent Cait," Nate whispered, nursing his slapped hand. I gave him a warning look, before closing the page. It was a zipped file on my own Mac; only I could retrieve it now.

"Nathaniel, get you work done," I fiercely whispered. He was about to talk, but I added "In silence."

"When did Jason start referring to you as his sister?" Nate asked, after a few moments of utter quite between us. It was nice, peaceful even.

"Since yesterday. We bonded," I shortly said. Nate didn't deserve the details. He doesn't need to know how much I cried. He doesn't need to know much he hurt me. I'm done.

"Oh," Nate said. I just decided to use a song I had written before. There was a song I had written after our third breakup. It helped. I sang a part during the campfire thing.

"Can I record after lunch?" I asked Rupert as he walked by my Mac. He gave me an incredulous look.

"You have a song already?" Rupert asked, obviously impressed. Nate rolled his eyes as he ducked his head over his notebook again.

"Well, it's from before. I sang part during the campfire game thing yesterday, but I never recorded it or anything. Is that okay?" I explained, before adding a shaky question. Just thinking about yesterday nearly drove me insane.

"I guess so. Just type the lyrics or something before lunch, so I can look them over," Rupert said. I nodded. I opened the Mac Word program again.

"Never mind. End of both classes today, you can have a brand new song," I yelled to Rupert, as I got a little inspired. Besides, I was always up for coming up with some new lyrics.

---

"Alright, lyrics people," Rupert said as the bell rang. It was time for minors. Finally. I put my warped and indented, blue ink smeared paper into Rupert's hand. I muttered a goodbye before I walked into the bright sunshine. I walked to the dance room, my messenger bag thumping against my thigh.

There was no one on the path with me. I was alone. Part of me took comfort in the aloneness. Another part was terrified, it wanted people. I got to the dance studio, and heard Shane's voice echoing in the mud room. I put my bag in a cubby, and changed into my hip-hop shoes. Yes, there is a difference. Regular shoes don't move as well. I would know. I put my converses with my bag, and opened the door.

"Hey Lynnie!" Shane excitedly said, waving to me. I was at the mercy of at least thirty little teenyboppers' glares. I awkwardly took a seat right by the door. I caught Mitchie's eye, and little questioning face. I shook my shoulder, and tried to focus on what Shane was saying.

"…let's try a little free form," Shane said, walking over to the CD player. He popped in a CD. A beat started thumping through the room. I stood up, as everyone else cowered away. I needed to dance. I needed to not think about Nate.

"Mitchie, get up here," I said over the beat. I let the music course through my veins. I let the music take me away. It was just me and the music. Suddenly, the music was gone. I stopped short. Everyone was staring. Shane was laughing.

"That was good," Shane said, before adding, "really good."

"Thanks," I said, blushing. I was never good with a compliment. All of those little girls, and Mitchie hadn't moved. More blood rushed to my face.

"You all should have been up here dancing, or at least taking a lesson from Lynnie," Shane said, as I rolled my eyes at his nickname, "I think you'll be my official helper."

"Okay," I cheerily said, once I realized how many little girls I had just pissed off. I mean, the only reason any of them came was to have a chance with Connect 3. Hello. The youngest two are – well, the middle one is taken. Goddamn Nate.

"So, take a seat over here, and watch everyone else try," Shane said, patting the stool next to him. Mitchie didn't even flinch at that. She knew I needed Nate. She knew that Shane really liked her. She trusted us.

The beat started thumping the walls again, almost every little teenybopper jumped up this time. They wanted Shane to compliment them. They wanted Shane to give them a nickname. They wanted to be sitting next to Shane. I should have been the happiest little teenybopper out there. Except, I don't want Shane. I want Nate.

**A little rushed, a little OOC, but I liked it. The song from the first part is Vanilla Twilight by Owl City. One of my favorites. Review please!**


	14. Get Away From Everything

**Hello lovely readers. Just read.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Have a nice day!**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"You'll never guess where I'm off to," Olivia said, as Mitchie and I walked into our cabin. She was in her black leotard, and light pink tights. Clutched in her hand were light pink ballet shoes, and black high heels. I looked to her bed, where a long flowy black shirt was.

"Dance?" I asked, knowing that's what it definitely was. She shoved the shoes into a duffel bag. I threw my messenger bag on the floor near my bed, as Mitchie went to the bathroom.

"Sort of," Olivia said, putting the skirt in her bag, "I'm giving Nate a few dance lessons."

"That sounds lovely," I said through my teeth, her smile faltered for just a second. She put her feet into regular black flats, and threw her bag over her shoulder.

"I know he hurt you, so I'll step on his foot for you," Olivia said, throwing a wink in my direction. With that said, she left. I threw myself onto my bed, and screamed. I let it all out. All of the frustration from today. I felt better when I was done. My throat was a little raw.

"Wanna talk?" Mitchie asked. I shook my head. She just looked at me, "Come on."

"Where?" I asked, not wanting to leave. I didn't want to risk seeing Nate. I wanted to stay here, like a hermit.

"You'll see. It'll be fun," Mitchie said, not giving me a choice. She grabbed my hand, and yanked me off of my bed. We both ran out of our cabin door.

"Tell me," I demanded, but it was a meek demand. I didn't raise my voice. It was more of a question. Mitchie was still power walking ahead of me, and I had to take a few jogging steps to catch up.

"Nope. Keep walking," Mitchie demanded, but it was a real demand. Since when did she get so strong-willed?

"Fine," I gave in, chasing after her. She wound through the forest a bit, before we got to the kitchen. I sighed. Cooking provided a sanctuary for her mother. Not me.

"We can make cookies with Nate's face on them, and eat them or stomp on them. It'll be fun," Mitchie said, a huge smile on her face. I couldn't help, but laugh at her craziness. She was completely serious with Nate cookies making me feel better.

"Hello _hija_, Cait," Mrs. Torres said, adding a little Spanish in there. I smiled.

"Hi Mrs. Torres," I said, as Mitchie kissed her mom's cheek. I felt a little ridiculous standing here, with this request. The kitchen back door opened behind me. I turned towards it. Nathaniel Gray. I looked towards Mitchie, before I walked out of the kitchen and into the cafeteria. I heard someone following me.

"Caite, we need to talk," I heard Nate's voice echo throughout the closed cafeteria. I rolled my eyes.

"We did enough talking," I sternly said, as I saw Mitchie in the doorway between the kitchen and cafeteria.

"Why are you even here Nate?" Mitchie questioned him. Mitchie walked into the cafeteria, the kitchen door slamming behind her. It two against one.

"I was gonna see if I could catch Caitlyn here. I need to talk to her," Nate said, before staring right at Mitchie, "alone."

"Get on to your dance lesson with Olivia," I said, remembering how little Olivia was wearing and her smug smile when she mentioned Nate's name.

"Not until we talk," Nate said, looking right at me. I didn't want to hear anything he had to say. I was done with him.

"I'll be right in the kitchen," Mitchie said, catching Nate's hint. She awkwardly back through the door to the kitchen.

"Talk. You have two minutes," I said, not wanting to be with him for too long. His scent was already dissipating towards me. It was drawing me in. It was calling my name. His curly hair was just begging my fingers to run through it.

"Well, I know it ended badly, and I wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to be so cruel," Nate said, as I tapped my invisible watch.

"A minute thirty," I counted down. He licked his lips. Oh how seductively he licked his lips. I wanted to steal a kiss. I needed a kiss. I needed him. But, I needed to hold my ground. He hurt me too much, far too many times. He wasn't healthy for me. The entire cycle of our relationship was broken. Plus, he had Olivia. He knew I know how to dance. He has seen me dance. That was how he got the balls to talk to me…he asked me to teach him how to dance. He knew a lot of dances, and moves. He liked Olivia.

"…friends?" Nate asked, obviously ending a speech. Did he not see my eyes glaze over? I wasn't listening!

"You like her," I simply said, as I watched Nate's ear turn red. I frowned. I knew it. _And when I told her another girl caught my eye, she cried._ I should have known it when he sang that line. I mean, she already gave him a dance lesson.

"N- no, no I- I don- don't," Nate stuttered. He liked her. I was sure of it.

"Have a nice life," I said, walking away from Nate. I let the kitchen door slam in his face when he followed me. He looked like a wreck, but he deserved it.

"Caitlyn, stay here. You don't understand–"

---

"Hey Rupert, I have a different song. I am so sorry. I just feel this one it better," I said during dinner. I gave Rupert my new crumbled piece of paper. He was looking over them, so I knew it was safe. He smiled when I walked over.

"Okay. Well, here," Rupert said, as I traded papers with him, "Just don't tell anyone."

"I won't," I said, though I did wonder why he let me change my song. He made a clear point that what we handed in was what we had to work with. I started to walk away, but I had to know, "Why are you letting me exchange it?"

"Because you look like you've been through hell. It's the least I can do," Rupert said, as I thought that over.

"I have," I silently muttered, but I just put on a fake smile, "Thank you."

"Welcome. Now, go have a good dinner with your friends," Rupert said. I walked away, outside to the pavilion. I passed my table inside. My stomach growled. But, I kept walking to the counselors cabins. I knocked on the one I knew Connect 3 was sharing. Nate had told me, incase I needed him during the night or anything.

I felt stupid. They were probably eating dinner, or talking with Brown. Why would they be hermits? I started to walk on the path away from their cabin. Which, I made a mental note, looked surprisingly normal. It was the same size as my cabin. My train of thought was pushed aside when I heard a girl's giggle coming from inside.

"Let me see if anyone is actually there," I heard a male voice say. I slightly panicked. I jumped behind a thick maple tree. The front door opened, letting a beam of light out, "Hello? Anyone there?"

"No one is there. Now, let me teach you how to be more flexible," I heard a girl say. I winced at that line. It was Olivia. Anger rushed through my blood. I poked my head out, and surely enough the head sticking out in the stream of light from inside the cabin was Nate's. I ran. I didn't care that I was making noise. I just had to get out of there.

"There was definitely someo-" I could hear Nate start to say, before getting cut off. What could cut someone off mid-sentence like that? I was running through the trees. My legs were quick as lightening, as was my mind. A kiss. She kissed him. He kissed her. Whatever the case may be, their lips were all together. I couldn't handle it. I had to get away.

**DUN DUN DUN! Now, please don't kill me for the cliffhanger. I had everything from this chapter and the next crammed into one. It was too long for one chapter. The next chapter will be intense. I know I enjoyed writing it. The quicker I get some good reviews, the faster I will get the next chapter up. Promise.**


	15. Unicorns, Sea Monsters, and Nate

**Alright, picking up right where the last chapter left off. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Does anyone read this anyway?**

_Caitlyn was walking to Connect 3's cabin. Nate was kissing some girl, or vice versa. Caitlyn had to get out of there. She ran away from her problem._

**CAITLYN'S POV**

I kept running. I ran right past the lake, the beach, the Mac lab, the dock, the dance studio, my cabin, the pool, the singing studio. It was just my thoughts, and my feet pounding on the ground. I tried to keep my breath steady, my tears away, and my legs going. I ended up at the office. I could barely keep enough air in my lungs to function. My legs felt like cooked spaghetti. I was going to go in to a coma for all the thinking I was doing. I opened the office doors, as the room started to spin a bit.

"Are you okay?" A woman at the desk asked, as I gripped onto a chair back. I felt like I was being suffocated. I couldn't stand. I collapsed onto the floor. She rushed over to me. Someone came in the office.

"Caitlyn!"

Suddenly, I was in a boat in the middle of the lake. It was serene. The water was lapping against the boat. It was just me and nature. I was one with nature. I could hear the crickets and frogs, though I couldn't see a single one. The sun was just starting to set behind the trees. I could hear my heavy breathing. It was like my lungs were filled with molasses. My stomach was a black hole. It was completely empty. It kept growling at me. I rubbed my abdomen, shushing it.

The sun felt so good on my otherwise cold skin. I was wrapped in a blanket of warmth. I leaned my head back, to get more sunlight, and saw Nate's face. He was crying. Why was he crying? I ran my fingers through his hair. He looked so distraught. Was he okay?

"Is she going to be okay?"

Who was hurt? Was it one of the unicorns that were frolicking through the forest? Oh no! I needed to help her. I tried to get up. The sun was holding me back. I thrashed, trying to get up. I needed to save someone. I needed to stop Nate's tears. The sun needed to let me go. People needed my help. I wiggled some more.

"Shhhhh. I'm here."

A sea monster, from the lake, rubbed its cold and clammy hand against mine. What happened to Nate? He was crying. Was he crying for the unicorn? I missed having my fingers intertwined in his curls. Where did he disappear to? I looked all around me, all around the boat. Nate just disappeared. He didn't even say goodbye.

"She should wake up soon. But, you should get going. It's late."

The unicorn is okay? I think so. I hope so. A smile broke out on my face. I closed my eyes as I looked up at the bright sun. When I opened them I was in a room, my eyes felt like sleep. It was dark. The sun was definitely gone, set behind the trees. I was no longer being rocked by a boat. I was in a plush bed. My stomach was gurgling. I smelt a bowl of chicken noodle soup across the room.

I went to get up, but I almost stepped on something. I apologized to the sleeping unicorn, and ate the soup in a minute flat. It was lukewarm, but oh so tasty. It really hit the spot. I walked back to my bed, but this time I kicked the unicorn. I saw it stir. I made a careful note to get into bed.

"Caitlyn?" The unicorn said, obviously a male one; but, I didn't even think unicorns could talk. A light turned on outside of the room. It was providing a shimmer of light under the door, until it opened. It was like a spotlight on me. The sea monster's clammy hand touched mine again. Did the unicorn have sea monster tentacles? I thought unicorns had hooves.

"You're awake," A woman said, coming near me. She turned on the light in the process. I could see the clock hanging on the wall. Three forty-seven. Obviously at night, or morning, since it was so dark out. The unicorn / sea monster was Nate. I was too tired, and a bit delirious to shudder away from him.

"Good," Nate said, his eyes full of sleep. His hair was in disarray. He looked like hell, like he couldn't get a good wink of sleep all night.

"Sweetie, what do you last remember?" The woman said, sitting on a little stool next to my bed. Nate's hand was still on mine, feeling clammier than ever.

"I remember knocking on Connect 3's door-" I started to recap what I remembered, but Nate cut me off.

"I knew someone was there!" Nate exclaimed, as me and that woman shot him a harsh glare. He quickly shut up, "Continue."

"Well, I ran away. I had to get out of there," I said, as the woman looked like she was going to ask a question, "It's complicated."

"Try me," The woman said. She was going to make me explain how Nate and I function. I don't think so. I would break down, I would scream, I would kick.

"I like him, a lot. And, she kissed him. It hurt," I said, as I slapped a hand over Nate's mouth. He was awake now, but I didn't need to hear what he had to say. It was my psych time, not his. Plus, the woman had asked me, not him.

"That wasn't that complicated," The woman softly said, as I kept my hand on Nate's face.

"So, I was running. I remember running all over, for as long as I can remember. Then, I got to the office, and I went inside. My lungs were on fire, my legs felt like Jell-O, everything was spinning. Someone screamed my name. Then, I was on the lake. There were unicorns, frogs, a sea monster, someone wasn't okay, Nate was there…but then he disappeared. He was crying. I thought he was crying for the unicorn," I tried to explain what I remember. Nate was staring at me like I had three heads, but his face was a bit pink. The woman looked understanding, but a little baffled. "I'm not even sure what I saw."

"That's normal," The woman said, patting my free hand.

"No-ral?" Nate asked through my clasped hand, his eyes wide. I laughed at his foolishness. I removed my hand from his face. He licked his lips, "Normal?"

"Yes. In fact, it's good that she dreamed about something," The woman said, "Even better because there was someone that she cares about in there."

I took the moment to observe how both Nate and I blushed. The woman let go of my hand, and I used both hands to tug at my blanket. Well, it wasn't really my blanket, it was the one thrown over me in this weird room. But, it was comforting knowing Nate was here. I couldn't hate him for being there for me.

"Well, you just got a little dizzy from not eating all day. You probably would have been fine, but your run did you in," The woman said, "Oh. I'm Betty, by the way."

"Caitlyn, as you probably know," I said, as I looked at her; I mean, really looked at her. She had porcelain colored skin, with laugh lines and crows feet. She had blonde, maybe strawberry blonde, colored hair that was a little poofy. Her eyes were a deep green. She looked like she was mid-thirties. She was definitely pretty when she was younger.

"Now, I have to assume that you are anorexic-" Betty started to say.

"I am not!" I exclaimed, as Nate rubbed my back. It gave me the chills.

"Or, you can explain why you didn't eat all day. It has to be legitimate," Betty said, as my eyes flickered to Nate. She must have taken the hint because she got him to leave.

"Looks like you ate all the soup, it's a few points away from anorexia. Are you still hungry?" Betty asked, as my stomach growled; I nodded, "Nathaniel, why don't you go in the fridge in the other room and get Caitlyn something to eat."

"Okay," Nate complied, as he got up, rubbing my hand. When he left, the door was still open.

"Can you close the door, Nathaniel?" Betty asked into the other room, "The draft is a little much."

"Sure," Nate said, as I could nearly see him rolling his eyes. He closed the door with a smile though.

"About Nathaniel?" Betty asked, as I lowered my eyes, and nodded. It was solemn nod.

"We've gone out before. I don't know why I thought this time would be any different. We broke up. I took it hard, like always. I spent the day in my own little cloud. I seem to float through the day, trapped in thoughts. I don't pay much attention to the world, I just sulk," I said, getting a little sad, "He doesn't even care."

"Honey, he cares. He just doesn't know how to show it. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have stayed here all night with you. He was worried there was something seriously wrong with you," Betty shortly said, before Nate came back in with a strawberry yogurt. My favorite flavor.

"Here Caite," Nate said, handing me the yogurt container, and a plastic spoon. I quickly opened the container, and started shoveling the strawberry goodness into my mouth.

"You're not anorexic. Just make sure you are eating. Don't get sidetracked," Betty said, winking at me. Nate looked sleepy again. I don't blame him, though. Betty looked from me to him, "Don't worry."

"I'll try not to," I said, as Betty stood up, and put the stool against the wall.

"I'm just going to let you two sleep until breakfast. I might even keep you two through first class, if I can't get you up," Betty said, laughing. I smiled. I was trying to clean the entire container out. Betty took the two plastic objects out of the room. She dimmed the light, and closed the door.

I moved my hand alongside of my bed, searching for Nate's fluffy head. I couldn't find it. I hung my feet over the edge of the bed. I ended up kicking him. He groaned out in pain.

"You can't sleep down there," I matter-of-factly said. I saw him squirm a little.

"Then where the hell am I supposed to sleep?" Nate asked with his eyes still shut, but still hostile.

"Up here," I said, before I scooted away from Nate a little, "There's room."

"You hate my guts," Nate said. I sighed and shrugged my shoulder.

"Fine. Stay on the floor. I was trying to be nice," I said, as I saw Nate get on his knees. He pushed himself up on his feet. He nearly flopped into the little bed.

"Happy?" Nate asked as he straightened himself out.

"You should be the happy one, you're off the floor," I said, even though I wanted to say 'very much so.'

"Goodnight Caitlyn," Nate said as he kissed my forehead. I fell asleep smiling.

**Alright, no worries. Caitlyn's all good. I needed to have some Naitlyn action. It was killing me. But, will it stick around long? Review to find out!**


	16. A Fresh Start

**Lalalala. I don't know what to say here. Read on!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

Something smacked my head, waking me up. I rolled on my side, to get a good look at it. Nathaniel Gray. I got up, disgusted that I shared a bed with him. I was supposed to be getting over him, not snuggling with him. I paced around the room a bit, as my thoughts went wild.

He shouldn't be here. Why can't I remember why he was in my bed? Did we drink? Where would we have gotten drinks anyway? What possessed me to let him into my bed? Betty the nurse, blamed anorexia; then she blamed Nate. Olivia and Nate were kissing. I ran. He liked her. I didn't have a chance anymore. He moved on. I needed to get on with my life. And, it would start when he woke up. Wait. I don't have to cater to him. I will just wake him up, and make him go. I was the sick one. I should be lying in the bed. Not him. This is ridiculous.

"Wake up," I said in a serious tone, as I shook Nate's entire body by his shoulder. He groaned. I smacked his arm. He was awake.

"What the hell?" Nate the monster growled, sitting up. I gave him my best scowl.

"Leave," I said, pointing to the door. Nate half-heartedly got up.

"Fine," Nate said, his head hanging low. When he slammed the door, I crawled back into the bed. The clock only read five thirty. I could sleep more…especially after the night I had.

The bed felt empty without him there. I could still feel the warmth of where he was lying. I missed not having someone to cuddle with. My stomach was rolling. I felt sick. I needed to have my forehead kissed. I needed him to tell me it would be alright. He stayed with me all night, and I yelled at him. He didn't deserve that. I didn't deserve him leaving me for some little slut.

The phone started ringing in the corner of the room. I got up, happy to be away from the bed of sadness. I picked it up, "Hello?"

"Cait, it's Nate," I heard Nate say from the other line. I put the phone back in its cradle. I went back to the bed. It was better to be lying in the bed, then talking to him. The phone kept ringing. As if it was one continuous ring. After a good hour of listening to the _brringgg_, I disconnected the phone in the room. The silence was a comforting kind of eerie.

"How are you feeling today, Caitlyn?" Betty asked, bursting into the room. Her hair was a sleek curtain around her face, and her eyes were perfectly lined. It was such an upgrade from four in the morning. I guess she actually had time before she came in here to make herself look good.

"Better," I said, telling the truth. She bustled out of the room, and grabbed a dining tray. It was some eggs, a pancake, a glass of milk, and a bowl of fruit.

"Breakfast in here. I need to make sure you eat. It's a precaution. Sorry," Betty said, placed the room down on a little table near my bed. I quickly grabbed it, and scoffed it down. Within ten minutes, the tray was licked clean.

"Still think I'm anorexic?" I asked, looking to the clean tray. She shook her head laughing.

"Well, here's your pass. Go take a shower in your cabin, and head off to class," Betty said, as I got up. I walked to the room's door.

"Thank you," I said, as Betty was organizing the tray, "You might want to reconnect the phone line."

With that said, I closed the door behind me, cutting off Betty's laughter. I left the nurses office, and headed straight to my cabin. When I got there, only Mitchie was there.

"Nate called early this morning, I was just getting up, and he filled me in. He said he was trying to talk to you, but then the phone line got disconnected," Mitchie said, as I tinged pink.

"Yea. I wasn't in the mood to talk," I said, as Mitchie gave me a tight hug. I needed it.

"I'm just glad you're okay. And, Nate was pretty shook up by you. He called Shane, like hysterical," Mitchie confided in me. I felt bad for making him leave. I told him to leave, but all I really wanted was him. I was hit with more song ideas.

"I was so mean to him," I softly said, as Mitchie rubbed my back, "But, you should really be getting to class."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure you got back here okay," Mitchie said, sounding just like a concerned mom.

"I'm fine. Now go," I said, shoving Mitchie to the door. I didn't mean to be cruel, and she understood that.

"Okay. Bye Caitlyn. I'll see you at lunch. And, you will eat," Mitchie said, running out the door. Seven oh-two. I ran into the bathroom. I stripped, and stepped into the hot water.

"I said leave, but all I really want it you to stand outside my window throwing pebbles, screaming: I'm in love with you. Wait there in the pouring rain coming back for more, and don't you leave cause I know all I need is on the other side of the door," I sang, as the water ran down my back. I needed to write those lyrics down. They were gold.

Seven eleven, I was out of the shower and dressed. I threw my hair into a bun, and sprinted off to class. I bursted in the room, ignoring everyone's glares, and Rupert's lesson. I gave Rupert the pass from Betty, and jumped into my computer seat. It rolled a bit, but I caught myself. I turned on my computer, and impatiently tapped my foot waiting for it to load. Rupert started his lesson on recording. I noticed Nate wasn't in class. Once my computer was loaded, I opened my Mac Notebook or whatever.

I typed out an entire song, including the part from my quickest shower. I hit the print button, saved the song, and closed it up. I grabbed it off the printer, as Nate walked in the room. He looked like shit. I walked up to Rupert, who was still trying to lecture.

"Last one. Promise," I whispered, leaving the piece of paper on his desk. He continued lecturing, without even giving me one glance over. Nate left his pass on Rupert's desk, and sat next to me.

Nate had huge bags under his eyes, and he looked as if could fall asleep sitting up any moment now. His eyes look a bit bloodshot. Either he was stoned or crying. I was thinking the latter. It had been a rough night for the both of us, though he didn't need to stay. I didn't need to make him leave. We could have made up.

"Caitlyn. Come here, please," Rupert said, as he finished his lesson. Of course, I wasn't paying attention. I knew everything he was teaching. I walked up to the front of the room, to his desk.

"Take your old one back. This is your final one," Rupert said, handing both of them both of them back to me. I crumpled the old song up into a ball, and tossed it into the recycling bin. I started to walk away, as Rupert addressed the class, "Print out fresh copies of your songs, and pick a room anywhere in this building to record with your partner. I'll be around to help. When the lunch bell rings, just leave your stuff where it is. We will meet up here after lunch."

Everyone started printing their songs. All I could think is: That poor printer is getting abused. I chuckled at that idea. We all grabbed our songs, and I grabbed Nate's wrist. I saw him turn a little pink. I walked down to the room where him and I had gotten together…again.

"Here?" Nate asked, grasping a laptop and his lyrics. I nodded. I sat on the concrete floor, feeling like I was a caged in cellmate. Nate sat next to me, opening the laptop.

"Wait. Before we do that, we need to talk," I seriously said. He didn't even look at me, but he did nod. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

Something plopped onto the mouse area on the laptop. Nate was quick to wipe it away. I lifted his head with my hand. He was crying. By natural instinct, I pulled him towards me. I let him cry on my shoulder. I rubbed his back. I took in his scent.

"You. Everything. Listen," Nate said, backing away from me. He seemed to be in better condition then when his head hit my shoulder.

"_You warned me that you were gonna leave  
I never thought that you would really go  
I was blind, but baby now I see  
I broke your heart, but now I know:  
That I was being such a fool,  
And I didn't deserve you._

_I don't wanna fall asleep  
Cause I don't know if I'll get up,  
And I don't wanna cause a scene,  
But I'm dying without your love.  
Begging to hear your voice,  
Tell me you love me too.  
Cause I'd rather just be alone  
If I know that I can't have you"  
_

I got up, put my hand over his mouth, and made him stop singing. I needed to tell him – to sing to him – about how I felt. I kept my hand over his mouth, as I started to sing the song I got inspired by this morning.

_"In the heat of the fight I walked away  
Ignoring words that you were saying  
Trying to make me stay  
I said: this time I've had enough  
And you've called a hundred times  
But I'm not picking up  
Cause I'm so mad I might tell you that it's over  
But if you look a little closer_

__

I said leave, but all I really want is you  
To stand outside my window throwing pebbles  
Screaming: I'm in love with you!  
Wait there in the pouring rain, coming back for more  
And don't you leave cause I know  
All I need is on the other side of the door

_Me and my stupid pride, sitting here alone  
Going through the photographs  
Staring at the phone  
I keep going back over, things we both said  
And I remember the slamming door  
And all the things that I misread  
So babe if you know everything  
Tell me why you couldn't see  
That when I left I wanted you to chase after me"  
_

By the third verse, Nate removed my hand from his mouth. He placed his hand over my mouth. I stopped singing. We just stared at each for a moment. I needed to take in everything that happened. Neither of us said anything, and I had to break the awkward ice.

"Do we only posses the ability to communicate through songs?" I asked, thinking back to the campfire thing where we had to sing. Nate laughed.

"I think so," Nate said, before lowering his eyes to the ground, "Which is sad."

"I know. We should work on it," I said, before bringing Nate's head back up, "Tell me what you are thinking, at this moment."

"This is ridiculous. We should be able to talk. I like you. I can hear the rain on the roof. I have a secret idea. Sorry, not sharing it. I want to kiss you," Nate babbled, without taking a breath of air, "What about you?"

"I have good songs when you're behind them. I like you. I want to dance in the rain. I'm a little concerned about your secret idea. I would love it if you kissed me," I rambled, not pausing for two seconds. I needed to get it all out before I bit my tongue.

With all that out in the open, Nate cupped my face and delicately placed his lips onto mine. It was almost as if, we were starting all over. A fresh start.

**Naitlyn kisses make my day. Hope it made yours too. I have a really cute idea for the next chapter. So, stick around.**


	17. I Love You

**Sorry it took so long for an update. I hit a bump in the road. I got sick. I wasn't up to doing anything, but sleep. Haha. But, I'm all better now and ready to bust out another chapter. Enjoy!**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

"The next campfire challenge is a game of manhunt," Brown said, as I fidgeted in my seat. Nate was sitting right next to me, and I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. Plus, stupid Olivia was sitting on the other side of him, smiling at him.

"One team will be hunted, and the two will hunt for them," Dee picked up with some basic rule-age.

"Now, we will use the general rules…" Brown started to explain as I spaced out. I knew the ruled to manhunt. It came with the territory of having an older brother, and constantly playing with him and his friends. I was a total tomboy.

Olivia kept making googly yes at Nate. When she caught my glance, it switched to a death glare. Wow. Someone was getting defensive over me looking at a boy. I'm pretty sure I was his. And, he was all mine. I was never a good sharer.

"Alright, Jason's team will be the hunted. You have two minutes to go off and hide," Dee said, as Jason, Barron, Ella, and Lola got up. They all ran off in different directions. Olivia's hand brushed against Nate's, she moved in closer. I wanted to growl. She kissed his cheek. I stood up.

"He's not yours," I angrily said, pronouncing each word clearly, my voice raising with each syllable. Olivia looked ready for a fight, and Nate looked embarrassed.

"I believe he is. I mean, the fun times we had last night," Olivia said, pursing her tiny little pink lips. I was close to punching her. I was also never good with handling my anger.

"He chased after me. He stayed with me all night. He made sure I was okay," I said, balling my hand into a fist, "He doesn't care about you."

"Yes, he does," Olivia said, as her voice cracked, and she looked at Nate. Her eyes were getting misty.

"No, he doesn't," I said, in a softer tone. I almost felt bad for her. Almost being the key word. Nate stood up. He was standing too close to me. His familiar smell was washing over me. Reminding me of those times he was there for me. And, the times he hurt me.

"Start hunting!" Brown yelled, as him and Dee ignored the girl drama unfolding in front of them. Sander and Peggy ran off with Tess and Shane.

"You mean, kissing me last night meant nothing to you?" Olivia asked Nate on the verge of crying. Tears were on the edge of her eyes.

"Uhm… no. Sorry," Nate softly said. She ran off, to where Tess was standing. Tess took Olivia into her arms. Mitchie walked over to where Nate and I were at a standstill.

"Our cabin is going to be so awkward now," Mitchie simply said, before Nate looked a bit apprehensive.

"I should probably go talk to her," Nate said, as he started inching away, before he full on walked away. Shane came running over to Brown, dragging Jason along.

"Look who I found!" Shane said, sounding like an overexcited little kid. Jason was officially in jail. Mitchie laughed at her childish boyfriend.

"Good job Shane," Dee said, as Jason sat in the sand. Shane looked over to me and Mitchie before waving at us. Then he ran over, attacking Mitchie in a bear hug. Mitchie started giggling. I looked over to where Olivia was now crying on Nate's shoulder, as Mitchie and Shane talked in hushed tones.

"Hey Lynnie!" Shane said before giving me a huge hug, too. I just wanted Nate.

---

"Is everything cool between us?" Olivia asked as the epic manhunt game ended. Shane's team lasted the longest, so they got a free class. Our team was neutral, while Jason's team was, once again, stuck cleaning up the camp.

"I suppose," I awkwardly said, as she then hugged me. Nate sauntered over to where we were hugging. Olivia looked from me to Nate.

"I best get going. Early morning tomorrow. I was offered to do an early morning dance class, for the best dancers," Olivia said, smiling. Somehow she managed to announce her achievement with out boasting. I was slightly proud of her. She wasn't rubbing anything in my face.

"Night Olivia," Nate called out once Olivia was a few feet away, walking to her bed. Then, he wrapped his arms around my waist. We held each other tight for a minute or two, not saying a word. I could hear the crickets and the water lapping against the shore. It was perfectly serene. The moon was still brightly shining. Everything was at peace. My life was at peace.

"I should be getting back to my cabin," I somberly said, as Nate and I let an inch of light between us. Nate shook his head.

"Nope. I have a get out class free pass for tomorrow's first class," Nate said, flashing out a piece of paper, "The perks of being a celebrity."

"Why?" I asked, laughing. Nate was acting to spontaneous, so unlike himself. I kind of liked it… Not knowing what his next move would be.

"Let's go to the end of the dock," Nate said, nodding his head towards the lantern lite dock. He then grabbed my hand, and started to tug me in that direction.

We got to the edge of the pier, and sat down. The water was splashing against the supporting poles. I shivered from the cool breeze that was skimming across the pond. Nate wrapped his arm around my body. We shared some body heat. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"You know, I'll never say anything I don't mean," Nate whispered. I rolled my eyes.

"What about that time you promised not to hurt me? Or that you'd call me every night? You definitely broke those," I said, trying to prove his point wrong.

"I never intentionally broke those promises. I didn't wake up one morning going: 'Hm… How can I make Caitlyn cry today?' And, I was very busy on tour. I never meant to break either of those promises," Nate said, sort of making sense. Plus, this wasn't like those times when Nate was covering his ass. He sounded sincere. It was scaring me a bit.

"Okay. But, where is this coming from?" I asked. Nate turned his head towards mine, and brought his hand up to my face. He delicately turned my head meet his chocolate brown eyes. I bit my lip. Nate licked his lips. I could feel my heart start to beat faster, and my stomach churn.

"I love you," Nate said, not hint of joke was in his voice, he didn't even crack a smile. My jaw started to slip open. I lost all feeling in my tongue.

"You what?" I slurred, my eyes wide. Nate closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath.

"I love you," Nate said slowly. I shook my head. Nate suddenly looked remorseful.

"Why?" I asked, feeling completely shocked. How could anyone _love_ me?

"Never mind," Nate said, looking extremely embarrassed. He let go of my face, and turned to face the lake, "Forget it."

"No," I said, making Nate look at me now, "How?"

"I don't know," Nate said, his face getting bright red. I cocked my head and just smiled at him. He smiled back, "What?"

"You have to have a reason for loving someone," I simply said. Nate's ear tinged red. The heat in his body was rising.

"I know," Nate whispered, before lowering his voice even more, "It's just the way I feel when I'm around you. The way your smile lights up a room. How concerned you get when I was sick. The way I can never get you out of my mind. I could never get over you… Not during a single breakup. I want to be with you. That's why I love you."

"You do realize that's the cutest thing anyone has ever said to me," I said, before kissing his lips lightly. I pulled away with him wanting more. I took in a shaky breath, our faces merely centimeters apart, "I love you, too."

"You do?" Nate said sounding hopeful. I never meant to crush everything he was building up.

"Yea," I said, before ducking my head down into his chest. My face was on fire, and I didn't want him to see it.

"Why?" Nate's hot breath whispered into my ear. I silently groaned. I never liked putting my heart on the line.

"Because you smile makes me smile. I never felt more comfortable than when in your arms. I'm pretty sure I would go to the end of the world for you. When we were apart, I never felt less like myself. Those times tore me apart," I said into his chest. He brushed my hair.

"I love you," Nate said, as I got the courage to pick my head up. Our eyes were locked, hands intertwined, body's touching as he said it again. I smiled, and brought my face close to his.

"I love you," I said, as our lips touched, and it exploded into the most passionate kiss I ever had.

**Sorry. I hate the beginning. I just needed something there. But, I absolutely adored the ending. I hope you all did too! (:**


	18. The End, The Start, Here We Go Again

**I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas, or Holiday. I know I will enjoy my break from school. To put a topper on this Holiday season, I present you with the final chapter of Here We Go Again.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**CAITLYN'S POV**

There was a certain bounce in my step as I walked to the cafeteria with Mitchie. We had been avoiding Olivia, who had moved into Tess's cabin. It was so convenient. I didn't hate her; I was just a little weary of her. I didn't want her to get in the way of me and Nate. I mean, I was sure nothing could break the bond between us. We l- ll- lo- _love_ each other. Wow. Weird to even think about.

"You alright?" Mitchie asked. I nodded.

"Yea. Just thinking," I said. I could feel the heat rising up in my face.

"Care to share, Miss Blush-a-Lot?" Mitchie called me out on it. She was smiling.

"Maybe later," I said, biting my lip, trying not to smile too much.

"You better," Mitchie said, as we entered the cafeteria. Last meal before the Final Jam. Everything I had worked for this summer was coming together.

"I will," I said, as I saw Shane walking over to Mitchie.

"Hey Mitch," Shane said, kissing Mitchie's cheek. She smiled and tinged pink. Shane turned to me, and gave me a tight hug, "Hey Lynnie."

"Hey Shane," I said, hugging Shane back. Over his shoulder, I saw Olivia sitting with Tess and Cassidy, talking to Nate. Nate caught my eye, smiled, and waved. Shane and I stopped hugging.

"Want me to walk you over there?" Mitchie asked, before adding, "No catfights."

"Sure," I said, not feeling like being ganged up on.

"I'll be your bodyguard," Shane said, puffing out his chest. Mitchie giggled, and deflated his faux macho-ness.

The three of us walked over to where Nate was sitting. Shane was leading the way. Mitchie and I were following. She kept glancing at me, making sure I was okay. I smiled each time. The twenty feet walk over seemed like twenty miles. Though, I'm pretty sure Shane leading the way looked defensive. Shane and Jason were like my brothers. They would always protect me. Even from their little brother. It was such a good feeling. I'm sure Shane could protect me from those girls.

"Nate, special delivery," Shane said, pushing me towards Nate. I stumbled into his arms, and he caught me effortlessly. It was just like a movie scene. I was too wrapped up in his strong embrace to realize Mitchie and Shane walk away.

"Natey," Olivia whined. I winced. He calmly rubbed my back. I felt on edge. I hadn't punched anyone all summer. Just one wouldn't hurt much.

"Only Caite calls him that," Cassidy said, as I smiled. I hadn't been all that close to her. We hadn't talked in like a week. But, she still defended me. I heard someone scoff.

"She can't claim a nickname," Olivia said. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes she can," Nate said, as him and I parted from the hug. We now had our hands intertwined.

"Oh," Olivia, said, defeated. I decided to sit next to Cassidy, dragging down Nate.

"So, can you believe camp is like over?" Tess asked, obviously trying to break the awkward ice that had moved in.

"Not really. I mean, it feels like I just moved into my cabin. I'm going to miss it so much," Cassidy gushed. I smiled.

"It is a nice break from the entire world," Tess agreed. I nodded.

"But, getting back into the flow of things outside of camp is such a mess," I said, "Trying to get back in touch with school friends, getting into the routine of doing school work, more responsibilities. When life isn't all about singing and dancing."

"I hate that," Tess venomously agreed.

"Doesn't it make you want to come back that much more?" Cassidy asked, sounding a little baffled.

"A bit," Tess half-heartedly said.

"But, then getting back into camp mode is hard," Nate said, as I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"Everyone in the first set, and any helping tech, needs to go to the backstage within the next ten minutes," Dee announced to the entire camp. Yes, we were all squished in the cafeteria. It was crazy how many people were really in this entire camp. I knew only a handful of them, and really talked to even less.

"Come on Cait," Cassidy said, standing up. Her and I offered to be the helping tech for the first half of the Final Jam. The second half, minus final song, would be by two boys I vaguely recognized.

"Alright," I said to Cassidy, standing up. Nate stood up with me, and I lightly kissed his lips, "See you later."

"Okay," Nate said, as I started to walk away, before pulling me back in. He buried his head in my hair, "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered into his chest.

"I mean it," Nate said. I never doubted it.

"I know you do. I do too," I said, as Nate wouldn't let me leave his grip.

"Come on Caitlyn," Cassidy said, tugging at my free arm.

"Bye Nate. I need to go," I said, laughing as I wouldn't let me leave.

"Nate, I need her," Cassidy said, trying to tear us apart.

"Fine, but later she's all mine," Nate said to Cassidy as he loosened up his bind. He swooped down, and delicately placed his lips on mine.

"You're free! Run Cait!" Cassidy exclaimed as Nate let go of me. I ran a few steps forwards, as Cassidy followed closely behind.

---

"Is it just me, or have all of the singers sounded vaguely the same?" Cassidy asked, as yet another pulsing beat and scratchy singer was on the stage. I nodded my head.

"Yup. They all sound like crap," I said, as Cassidy adjusted the microphone, so the voice sounded smoother.

"Good thing we're almost done," Cassidy said after a glance at the clock. I smiled. Then, I could get ready to dance and the final song. The song ended. The audience, made up of younger campers and parents, applauded. I guess it wasn't that bad from out there. I know back here I wanted to punch a baby.

"Last one, before intermission," I said, as Cassidy smiled. It was Olivia's dance routine. I pressed play on the CD track as she struck her beginning pose. Shattered by O.A.R. started to play through the room. Olivia flowed with the simple piano notes. As the drums came into the song, backup dancers took the stage. The lead singer in the song started to sing, and everyone started dancing about the stage.

"Whoa. That looks so cool," Cassidy said. I agreed one hundred percent. From this angle, it even looked cool; usually things look a little funky from the side.

"Totally," I said, feeling mesmerized by the rhymetically movement of everything going on. She must have rehearsed this for weeks. Everything looked to perfect.

"I thought she said she wasn't that great of a dancer," Cassidy said, not taking her eyes off of the stage.

"Well, someone was being modest," I said, as the chorus came around. Olivia jumped into the air; one of the male dancers leaped across the stage, caught her and continued leaping. Then, she was spun out across the floor, getting lower and lower…until she was lying on the floor. It looked magical. I wasn't a fan of lyrical or any form of ballet, but this was simply amazing.

"Very, very modest," Cassidy said. Everything fit together perfectly. The timing was impeccable.

"Obviously," I said, still not taking my eyes off of the performance. The song was coming to a tragic end. I never wanted this piece of end. The playback showed that there was less than twenty seconds left.

"I'll end the track," Cassidy offered, so I could continue to be mesmerized by the entire thing.

The backup dancers danced their way off of the stage, except for the one male dancer who caught her during his leap. She ran across the stage as the notes faded out, and jumped up. He caught her with perfect grace as the track ended. The audience exploded into applauses, cheering, and straight up screaming. He let her down, catching her like a groom carries a bride, before giving her to the front of the stage for her bows. The backup dancers came back onto the stage, for their moment in the light.

After what seemed like an eternity of the audience going wild, the all came off the stage, via where Cassidy and I were doing the audio. It was some dancers I didn't recognize, Ella, Peggy, and then Olivia and her male counterpart.

"Olivia, you did amazing," I said, willingly giving Olivia a hug. She did that good. The male dancer ran off towards the dressing rooms, as I saw a bouncing bush of hair. Could it have been?

"Thanks," Olivia said, sounding out of breath, "I should check in with Dee, and get a drink."

"Okay. See you later," I said, as Olivia ran off to the dressing rooms. Cassidy and I went down the steps from the stage to help parents get to where they wanted to go during intermission. Then, we would be backstage getting ready for my piece and the final song.

"Hi, where are the bathrooms?" Some old guy asked. Cassidy directed him out towards the left.

"For intermission there is going to be a little side show. I hope you don't mind," Shane said, standing on stage, holding the mike. Brown walked across the stage, and took the mike from Shane. They exchanged a few silent words.

"But, please don't let it stop you from going to the concession area or the bathrooms," Brown said, as Shane had a huge smile. He seemed to be scanning the crowd. Everything must have looked different from the stage when all the lights were on. He took the mike back from Brown.

"Time, is going by, so much faster than I, and I'm starting to regret not spending all of it with you. Now I'm, wondering why, I've kept this bottled inside, so I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you. If I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know," Nate started the song off. I swear, I swooned so bad.

"You're never gonna be alone! From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall. You're never gonna be alone! I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone," Nate effortlessly sang, as Jason banged on the drums and Shane strummed out the notes. Nate was sweating up a storm. It could have been.

"And now, as long as I can, I'm holding on with both hands, cause forever I believe that there's nothing I could need but you, so if I haven't yet, I've gotta let you know. You're never gonna be alone! From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall. You're never gonna be alone! I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone," Nate continued singing. He started walking around the stage as his sang now.

"You've gotta live every single day, like it's the only one, what if tomorrow never comes? Don't let it slip away, could be our only one; you know it's only just begun. Every single day, maybe our only one, what if tomorrow never comes? Tomorrow never comes," Nate sang, putting his all into this single song. I was too focused on listening. Poor Cassidy had to direct everyone where the bathrooms were, and where they could get a drink, and where the front door was for some air. I would apologize. When Nate was done…

"Time, is going by, so much faster than I, and I'm starting to regret not telling all of this to you... You're never gonna be alone! From this moment on, if you ever feel like letting go, I won't let you fall. When all hope is gone, I know that you can carry on. We're gonna see the world out, I'll hold you 'til the hurt is gone," Nate nearly finished his song. I could tell by the way the song started to slowly progress out. I started to walk, then speed walk, the jog, the run up the middle aisle so the stage.

"I'm gonna be there always. I won't be missing one more day," Nate continued singing as I jumped onto the stage, forgetting about the stairs, "I'm gonna be there always. I won't be missing one more day."

"Did I just look like a maniac?" I asked, as Nate was staring at me, smiling. Shane was finishing the final chords of the song. I could hear Mitchie laughing from the side of the stage. Nate took me into his arms.

"Yes, you did," Nate said, laughing into my hair. He felt damp.

"I have a question. Don't laugh," I vulnerably said. Nate started to sway to a beat inside his head. Jason started providing a simple swish on the cymbal. Shane ended up adding some simple, low chords.

"What is it?" Nate asked, as he dipped me. I felt like I was in a world class banquet hall, not at some simple camp show.

"Did- Were you in Olivia's dance?" I asked, feeling the blush rising up in my cheeks. I felt so stupid. Nate spun me out, and then back in.

"How did you know?" Nate asked. I smiled. I spun him out.

"I saw you running to the dressing room," I said, spinning him back in. I looked up at him, and he looked down at me.

"I had to quick get ready for this," Nate said, looking right into my eyes, "Did you like?"

"Of course I did," I said, smiling. He was looking at me like I was singlehandedly the most beautiful girl in the whole entire universe.

"Good," Nate said, as he bent down, and captured my lips with his. I could hear some aw's, which led me back to reality. I wasn't in some formal banquet hall, all dolled up. I was on stage during the camp show's intermission. My hair was pulled into the messiest bun, my makeup was probably running from standing on the side of the stage sweating, my clothes were wrinkled and simple… yet he made me feel gorgeous.

"Hey, you lovebirds," I heard Shane mockingly call, as the music Nate and I were dancing to ended. I blushed, as everyone cheered. Nate took my hand, and bowed. We both bowed. He swept me off my feet, most literally, and walked me off the stage.

"And, excuse me Shane, we weren't doing anything bad," I said, poking Shane in the chest. He whimpered back to Mitchie.

"You were too close. Sex is bad. Remember Nate?" Shane said, holding up his hand so everyone could see his beautiful purity ring. I rolled my eyes.

"Yea, yea. I remember, MOM," Nate said, as I giggled. Shane feigned hurt. Mitchie kissed his cheek.

"Hey, Caitlyn," Brown said, getting my attention, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," I said, as I untangled my fingers from Nate's and walked over to where Brown was waiting.

"Remember how you had your dance solo in three before the final song?" Brown asked. I nodded. He licked his lips, "Well, would you mind doing your solo, but only the first minute, leading right into the final song?"

"No, not really. But, why?" I asked to fulfill my curiosity.

"Just to alleviate some pressure on some first year camper who has no experience on stage, she was going to lead in, but she caught a case of the jitters. She's going back to her original routine with the other dancers from her group," Brown said. I nodded.

"Okay, I'll lead in. I won't get jitters. My dance is second nature to me," I said. Brown gave me a short hug.

"Thank Caitlyn," Brown said, as he started to walk on stage, "Sorry it's so late notice."

"What did he need to say?" Nate asked me, acting all nosey.

"To lead into the final," I said, shortly, trying not to show emotion about it.

"Caitlyn! That's amazing!" Mitchie squealed, giving me a hug.

"The last person who had a good lead into the final was us," Shane said, as I rolled my eyes. He gave me a hug anyway.

"He's right. All the other leads have been first year campers to throw them straight into performing," Jason said, walking into the conversation. He gave me a short hug.

"We were asked to lead in, once the first year girl puked minutes before she was supposed to go. We did some huge improv," Nate said, tangling his fingers with mine. Cassidy joined our little circle.

"Sorry," I whispered to Cassidy. She brushed it off.

"Don't worry. You looked like you were having fun," Cassidy softly said. I smiled at her graciousness.

"You're gonna do great," Nate said, kissing my forehead. I guess I looked a little nervous. The butterflies were settling in pretty hard.

"Help me practice?" I asked everyone. They all nodded. We all walked off to the back practice room hand-in-hand.

----

There's always that moment when I forget how my entire dance goes, what beat to start on, even which song I'm doing. Every single time it freaks me out… Even though I know when the music starts, I'll go. Just like a machine. Right now I'm freaking out. I didn't know how to dance. I was freezing up. I had T-minus thirty second till I went on. I didn't want to be touched, so Nate was whimpering in a corner with Cassidy. I was on edge.

"Ten seconds, Brown will introduce. DO what you do," Dee said, as I started to pace more. I wanted to scream, rip my hair out, run away. But, at the same time, I loved this rush. It was so perfect. It made me feel alive. Blood was coursing through my body with adrenaline. I was on the left side of the stage.

"Shake off the nerves Caite," Nate said from where he was sitting. I guess he didn't want to me freak out on him. I didn't mind. I started to literally shake my limbs. I felt thoroughly rid of any nerves. I remembered the song, at least.

Everyone started applauding. Dee pushed me towards the stage. I walked to the middle of the stage. I nodded towards the two boys doing the second shift of audio. The beat of La La La by LMFAO started playing through the room. I let the music take control of my entire body.

I was one of those people who never thinks about the dance their doing. It's second nature. It just happens, while I think or sing. I can never dance and think about moving my leg there, kicking here, spin 1, 2, 3, stop! It's just not me. I do focus on the lyrics sometimes. I danced my way this far, might as well start listening to when everyone else will be coming on. Better not be shaky here.

You make feel super, like the man of steel. You got me going stupid, picking daffodils. You my new obsession. All I want to do. You my new obsession girl. I feel on top of the world with you baby… Cause we rock! We rock! We rock on!

"You did good, Cait," Nate said, twirling me. I continued to do the stupid cookie cutter pop stuff that was so simple, everyone in camp could do it. Mhm. Everyone. Including that girl who had cerebral palsy, but a crazy voice. I mean, for her this dance was hard. For me, it was too simple.

"Thanks," I said, as I shuffle ball changed past Nate.

"Camp Rock!" We all shouted, throwing our arms wildly in the air. The End. It was the end of the song. The end of my solo. The end of the summer. The end of my life as I had known it for nearly three months. It would be the start of school. The start of drama in school. The start of no longer fitting in. The start of the bullying. The start of the separation of Nate and I. But, this time I was sure we would make it through… Together. Cause here we go again.

**And, that's it. I really hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And, I hope it was long enough to satisfy all of your needs. And, I hope you have a happy and healthy new year.**


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